I summoned Aoi-san and One-oh-one to get their side of the story. Tatiana trailed along after them, munching on the Spicy Fish Sauce Chips that Latarnians seemed to love so much.
‐Tatiana... are those actually good?‐
‐It’s not a flavor I hate, sir.‐
I personally found the smell and aftertaste a bit much. It wasn’t that I couldn’t eat them, but if I had the choice, I’d look elsewhere for a snack. Judging by the fact that One-oh-one hadn't piped up with a ‐Please, me too!‐ she probably wasn’t a fan of the taste either.
What a good girl, being so mature about her likes and dislikes!
‐So, you’re saying I’m the one who called you?‐
‐Yes! The Brigadier General reached out via telepathy.‐
‐Indeed, through a transmission frequency compatible with the Zork network.‐
...Good grief.
‐Is something the matter, sir?‐
‐Sorry, everyone! 【Medic! I might be infected! Identify every person I've come into contact with! Put us in isolation! Now!!!】‐
‐Eh...?‐
Tatiana, caught in the sudden crossfire, dropped her bag of chips.
Straight to quarantine. My entire body was scanned. And it didn't stop there—I was subjected to X-rays, CTs, MRIs, and even ultrasound exams. They checked my brain, too. I swallowed anti-parasitic meds and lay in bed.
How many times had it been now? I swear, I always end up on the verge of death just when I’ve finally forgotten the danger.
The ship was disinfected and scrubbed top to bottom, with a mandatory inspection for the entire crew. Claire was presumed infected, and since Wifey was a close contact, both were quarantined as well. The Graduate Student and the Researcher followed soon after.
Piggett, who was quietly seething with rage, told me, ‐Show your face to me once you’re discharged.‐ It was probably because he found out I’d been having a Morning Kiss with Wifey. Come on! We’re a legally married couple! That’s well within the bounds of a wholesome high school relationship! Being threatened for that is practically a death sentence! Leo-kun can't live like this~!
Well, once I was officially admitted, I found myself with a lot of free time. I submitted a report to a pale-faced Saria. Then, the Latarnia Ambassador, who likely had spies planted in the Ogre God Nation, contacted me in a panic. I handed over the unfinished Dissection Report on the parasites to him as well.
As a ‘get-well gift’ for me and Wifey, he sent over samples of some new products they were developing: Spicy Fish Sauce Rice Crackers, Canned Doughnuts soaked in a syrup so sweet it felt lethal, and some mysterious candies made of dried fruit coated in spicy caramel. He sent hundreds of kilograms.
Having a bad feeling about the sugar content, I shared the cans with the rest of the quarantine group. Only Wifey was exempt from being a guinea pig.
‐Aaaaagggghhhhh!!!】
It hurt! My head was throbbing! What was this?! My brain was physically rejecting that much sugar! It took me over ten minutes just to finish one small doughnut from the can. But leaving leftovers wasn't allowed. My vision was literally flickering, but I forced it all down.
I mean, he’s going to ask for my feedback! I can’t exactly tell him ‐I didn't eat it.‐ I felt justified in translating 【It was so sweet it was disgusting】 into 【It was a meeting with a new culture. However, if you export it to the Empire, you might want to dial back the sweetness.】
Ugh, I was starting to feel nauseous. Oh, crap.
【Omitted due to extremely unsightly imagery】
Even after emptying my stomach, the retching continued. My stomach began to cramp. Was it poison? No, the tests should have caught that. And then, I coughed up blood.
Huh?
‐Something’s squirming... Ugghhhhyaaaaaaa!!!‐
I slammed the nurse call button. My vomit was immediately whisked away for analysis. To my horror, it contained newly hatched Ghoul Parasites. My hospitalization was extended indefinitely.
We still didn't know how they got in, but knowing they were there made the tests more effective. The little monsters wouldn't show up on CTs or MRIs, and they actually hid from ultrasounds and endoscopes! There was no way to find them with standard procedures.
The Graduate Student, several lab assistants, and I were all infected. Claire too. Wifey was fine, which meant I'd likely been infected after our morning kiss.
The common factor was the people who performed the dissection and those who observed it. As for food... we all ate the same stuff on a military vessel! And the air conditioning? The ducts were connected, but the distance was far too great.
Then, we found something resembling a mosquito carcass inside the ship. It appeared to be the Intermediate Host for the parasite. The ship went into an uproar. Using the results of my ‘human experimentation,’ we manufactured a removal device using Nanomachines. Everyone was treated.
Aoi-san and One-oh-one were clean. Claire was successfully cured by the Nanomachines.
And through that process, we made a discovery: those ridiculously sweet snacks! Specifically, the spice used in them—the fruit of a plant native to Latarnia. It turned out that the spice had a powerful parasiticidal effect. A theory emerged that those sickly sweet treats were actually intended as medicine to kill Ghoul Parasites. How was I supposed to know that?!
Anyway, now that we had a cure, we shared the data with Latarnia. Phew, we're saved... or so I thought! Usually, this is where the story ends, right?
...But wait, where did the Ghouls come from in the first place? That was the big question. The theory that the parasite using the Zork-compatible network was the actual intelligent entity was looking more and more likely.
Then, the Latarnia Ambassador contacted me, looking like a ghost. ‐Several Latarnian planets have been completely taken over by the Ghouls.‐
Simultaneously, I got a message from Saria. ‐When we made a plan to distribute the medicine to all our citizens, several planets immediately broke out in rebellion.‐
What a mess! This was total chaos! Suddenly, everything was in a tailspin. Wait a minute... does this mean the Ghouls’ influence is actually massive? It’s just that we didn’t know it until now.
That’s why they were so calm! They didn't give a damn what happened to the Pirate Guild or Proone. They were far more cunning than we'd given them credit for. Zork just happened to have terrible luck.
I came to a decision. From my sickroom, I sent a file to Old Man Eyens. I included everything we knew about the Mainland. Almost immediately, the old man requested a meeting.
Friend or foe? I couldn’t be sure. But at the very least, he wasn't going to let this slide. He might not side with me publicly, but he was bound to have information. For the Pirate Guild, cutting ties with the Ghouls to cozy up to the Empire was a logical move.
Old Man Eyens didn't waste any time. His first words were: ‐I shall participate in the Ghoul Subjugation.‐
Well, I’d gained an unexpected ally. Now I had to wonder... how would Ghoul-chan react?