"Whoa... that’s a massive amount of inosinic acid..."
A strange sound escaped my throat.
"Not only that, they are rich in various amino acids and possess high nutritional value..."
I listened to the report from the Researcher alongside Wifey.
It seemed those Proone idiots were actually quite delicious.
Apparently, some fragments had been found on the materials recovered during their previous attack.
But if I were asked whether I’d actually eat them, my answer would be a hard no. Absolutely not.
"There is an even more important report..."
"There's still more?!"
"Ah, yes. Regarding the autopsy results of the recovered corpses... as expected, the teeth were radulae, much like those of shellfish. Since they speak, I wondered if they might have a pharynx like a land planarian, but..."
"My spine is tingling in the worst way."
"As is mine."
It wasn't exactly gore, but my mind was rejecting the information.
This was the kind of thing you were guaranteed to regret hearing.
I... really have no talent for biology.
"The shape was different from the radulae found in carnivorous shellfish."
"Huh?"
"There are exceptions, so I cannot say for certain, but I suspect they were originally omnivores that leaned heavily toward being herbivores. Specifically, the type that scrapes moss off rocky areas for food."
To think they were actually the type of shellfish that ate moss.
"Also..."
"There's still more?!"
I was reaching my limit here!
However, the male Researcher in glasses maintained a dead-serious expression.
"This is the most critical part. Regarding the Proone... it is likely that almost every individual has developed a severe illness."
"Wait, what...?"
From there, a biology lesson began that lasted several hours.
Curse the unfortunate gaps in the officer high school curriculum.
Man, it was a struggle just to wrap my head around it all.
Eventually, I went to consult Saria about what I’d gathered (or failed to gather).
"What is wrong with you two? You look like you've had the emotions sucked right out of your faces."
"I need you to listen calmly, Saria. Even if we do nothing, the Proone are going to go extinct."
"Huh?"
I explained the details I’d managed to grasp to Saria.
In short, they had been eating things that should never be used as food.
It was like feeding meat and bone meal to cows.
In cows, that caused bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
It seemed the autopsied Proone also had abnormalities in their brains.
These were the ones where the allied nation had just sent us the heads after we asked to examine them.
We couldn't say for sure since we didn't have a healthy sample for comparison, of course.
So, was it the turtles, the wolves, or the people of the Ogre God Nation?
As a long shot, it might even be Zork—though those guys were poisonous to begin with.
Regardless, the things they used as food had introduced a disease, and through cannibalism... although the cannibalism itself might be a symptom of the brain disease, it had spread explosively because they were eating their own kind.
That was the hypothesis.
They had been forced into carnivory by the primal fear of being eaten themselves.
This illness likely hadn't just appeared recently, either.
After all, human diseases like the plague and smallpox have been found in remains from Ancient Egypt.
Looking at it this way, the Empire was a civilization that had dumped all its skill tree points into medicine.
It felt like their engineering only existed to advance their medical science.
Jester was likely a product of that medicine, too.
"I suspect their lifespans have become extremely short. I think that's why the entire race has panicked and spiraled into this Meat Eschatology."
"W-What a nightmare..."
"Did the Ogre God Nation really not have this information...?"
"We aren't particularly interested in biological research. We only care if something is strong or weak."
"I guess that's a cultural difference."
Even so, it was remarkably careless.
I’m surprised the Ogre God Nation hasn't gone extinct yet...
"Well, our bodies are quite sturdy, you see."
That made sense.
I was instantly convinced.
"So... what are you going to do with this knowledge? It's not like they'll go extinct tomorrow. It's not exactly a tactical weakness, is it?"
I looked toward Wifey, who had been listening in silence.
"Wifey, in my capacity as the one in charge of diplomacy, I'm thinking of 'leaking' this information to the Proone."
"Huh? What do you mean?! If you intend to give it to them out of the goodness of your heart, I shall object."
"No, see, I bet the Proone's internal situation is a total mess right now. I want to toss this information in there and see if it shakes them up."
"Do you intend to sue for peace?"
"Nope. I'm going to throw the truth at them to rattle them. They have the tech to domesticate intelligent lifeforms, yet they haven't noticed their own disease? Does that seem right?"
"There might be a biological barrier. Even we haven't unraveled Zork's technology yet... However, it is possible they are being deceived by some other faction."
Wifey wore a look of supreme malice.
"I'm thinking of sowing suspicion to drive a wedge into their alliance. What do you think?"
"Will it really go that smoothly?"
"It'll be fine. It's just one tool among many. Oh, Saria-kyun. Play the good guy and start spreading rumors that the Proone are on the verge of dying out from disease. We might even make an official announcement ourselves."
"...The Empire is terrifying!"
"Now, now, Lord Saria. Normally, I and my Lord Groom are not at an age where we should be going to war. Even as soldiers, we should be the age where we're just loitering around in the rear."
"...And what is that supposed to mean?"
"We have over-adapted. My Lord Groom... or rather, all of us... will choose any means necessary to survive."
I gave Saria a bright, cheerful smile.
"Scary! Those Zorks... they've awakened monsters that should have stayed asleep for their entire lives..."
"I agree. Normally, my Lord Groom is not bellicose. He originally aspired to be a Lawyer. If it weren't for Zork, he wouldn't have even met me. Even so, Lord Groom, for someone who claimed he couldn't do it, aren't you quite the strategist?"
"I'm okay at this sort of thing, but I'm no good at large-scale maneuvers. I can handle things at a squad leader level, but the Commander class is beyond me."
"Then use the Proone to get some practice."
"In that case, I'll just destroy them from the inside before we even have to fight."
"...I actually pity the Proone."
Saria's lip was twitching.
For some reason, Saria repeatedly asked, "We're friends, right?!"
Of course we're friends.
We're friends, but I'm still going to run my ops.
It would be a problem if Saria lost his position, after all.
I’ve already established plenty of Local Collaborators within the Ogre God Nation.
For instance, I’ve been funding researchers in fields that aren't popular there, like poetry and literature.
I’ve also been providing aid for Empire Cultural Research.
We’ve even scheduled an Imperial cultural event to be held in the Ogre God Nation soon.
I have to be diligent about creating these kinds of vested interests.
Since I’m not great at military strategy, I have to handle this side of things.
I have to make sure I'm not a burden!