As Jin puzzled over the situation, Laojun spoke to him.
『My Lord, there is one question I have—or rather, a specific piece of information that seems to be missing.』
“Hmm? What is it?”
『Yes. Why exactly is the current Count Kuzuma so desperate to find someone to inherit the headship of the house?』
“Ah, right.”
Jin had heard the man was elderly. He didn't know his exact age, but perhaps time was shorter than he realized.
Jin recalled that the average life expectancy on Planet Ars was now over ninety. He figured that even if the Count had a ten-year-old child, the man likely wasn't anywhere near ninety yet.
“That information was indeed missing. Alright, Reiko, let's go.”
Jin decided to walk around the town to gather information, but he planned to ask the Young Okami about that specific detail on his way out.
“The Count is currently bedridden with an incurable illness,” she explained. “It’s not as if he’s in critical danger this very second, but he is completely bedbound. That is why he must designate a successor; otherwise, there is a real risk the house could be dissolved if something were to happen to him.”
Apparently, if a noble died without an heir, and if they were a high-ranking aristocrat or a figure of great importance, the crown—meaning the royal family or the Council—might step in and designate a successor to ensure the house's survival.
However, if it was deemed that he had ample time to choose an heir and simply failed to do so, it could lead to the total dissolution of the house.
“I see...”
By the way, she informed him that the current Count Kuzuma was sixty-nine years old.
＊ ＊ ＊
Jin and Reiko left the Silver Moon Inn and headed toward the main street.
“...Still, I can't think of a better place to gather intelligence than that inn,” Jin grumbled.
“Father, they say ‘even a dog that walks will hit a stick,’ so let us start by exploring,” Reiko encouraged him.
Hearing that, Jin reconsidered.
“You're right. As the saying goes, ‘more haste, less speed.’”
He decided to head north along the main street. The lord’s manor house lay in that direction.
“Count Kuzuma's mansion was on the east side, wasn't it?”
“Yes. At the time, he served as the Eastern District Governor of Blue Land.”
The other count, Count Guarana, had been the Western District Governor of Blue Land, so his mansion had been situated on the west side of the town.
“So, what is the situation now?”
Jin knew that Duke Blue was the formal lord and that the House of Kuzuma should be acting as bailiffs, so he decided to ask a passing townsperson.
“Excuse me, are you a resident of Blue Land?”
“Yeah, I am. Who’s asking?”
“I'm a traveler. My name is Jin. Is Count Kuzuma staying at the manor house?”
“No, he isn't. The Count is recuperating at the mansion on the east side.”
“Ah, I see. Thank you.”
“Wait—by any chance, are you a healer who came to cure the Count's illness? If so, please! You have to save him!”
Mistaking Jin for a traveling healer, the man pleaded as if offering a prayer. He then hurried off, bowing his head repeatedly in gratitude for a hope Jin hadn't even confirmed.
“...It seems everyone knows the Count is ill.”
It was just as the Young Okami had said. It wasn't merely that he was bedridden; his illness had created a situation where he had no choice but to secure a successor. There was no doubt about it now.
“But this gives us another option.”
If they could cure the Count’s illness, they could buy him more time. Given the current average life expectancy, a healthy man his age could easily wait until his eldest daughter reached adulthood to choose an heir or a son-in-law.
“The only question is what kind of illness it is...”
If Elsa—Jin's former wife and the world’s preeminent healer—were here, she likely could have handled it. However, the interruption of technological transmission by the Magic Federation had stifled the world's progress, even if it wasn't as catastrophic as an Ether Stampede.
Reflecting on that history, Jin muttered, “It’s a tragedy.”
Elsa’s medical knowledge was partly derived from Jin and partly from the Magus, Shuuki Tsetse. Shuuki, in particular, had aspired to study medicine in his original world and had ‘fallen’ here with several medical texts. He had been instrumental in the advancement of medicine in this world. Combined with Elsa’s own innate talent and experience, they had forged the legendary healer Elsa Nidou.
“There's no point in wishing for what we don't have, but... I'd like to know at least what the symptoms are.”
“Father, in that case, shall I use my Peeping Telescope?”
Reiko possessed a Peeping Telescope, though it was a small-class model. It was difficult to use over long distances because the focus tended to blur, but it was perfectly practical for short-range observation.
“I hope there's a place near the mansion where we can stay still without looking suspicious.”
If they stood outside the wall staring at the mansion, they would look like criminals.
Jin and Reiko walked around the vicinity until they found a small coffee shop.
“Let’s take a break in here.”
It was just past 1:00 PM. No other customers were inside. Jin and Reiko chose a seat in the far corner.
“Welcome.”
A girl-type automata came to take their order. Jin noticed hints of Beena's style in her construction, suggesting she might be a product of the Craft Queen Workshop.
“Two servings of hotcakes and Te-e.”
“Understood.”
Jin placed the order without much thought. While they waited, Reiko remained perfectly still, peering into the Count's mansion with her built-in Peeping Telescope.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Thank you for waiting.”
During the ten minutes it took for the hotcakes and Te-e to arrive, Reiko had been busy observing.
“Now, let's eat.”
“Yes.”
Reiko was capable of eating, though she didn't actually digest anything. Previously, her system removed moisture from food, compressed it, and discharged it. Now, however, she used a method that broke matter down into atoms, leaving behind almost no residue at all.
Setting that aside, Reiko reported her findings while they ate.
“Fa—Big Brother,” Reiko corrected herself, mindful of their cover. “The subject is exhibiting symptoms characteristic of Mana Overload Syndrome.”
“What?!...I see. So that’s what it is.”
Mana Overload Syndrome. It was a condition where mana recovered faster than the body's capacity, allowing the surplus to gradually erode the physical form. Elsa had once suffered from it, but she had been fully cured thanks to the instructions from No. 700672.
“...But if that's the case, the specific remedy would be a Mental Catalyst.”
It was a substance extracted from the brain tissue of specific magical beasts, and it was extremely rare. It was also a requirement for creating a homunculus. True to its name, it acted as a catalyst; though it did not change itself, it allowed living things to manipulate free ether via the mind. It was, in essence, an antenna for mental waves. A mere millionth of a gram had been enough to completely cure Elsa's condition.
“We still have some left on Hourai Island, don't we?”
“No, we have none left,” Reiko replied.
“Why?”
“...It was all used up during the experiments.”
“...I see.”
Jin’s shoulders slumped.
Using a Mental Catalyst improved the precision of controlling free ether by an incredible margin. Since they had started with less than a gram of the substance, it was only natural that it would be exhausted after such experiments.