Chapter 131

Drinking Water

Morning arrived with indifferent calm.

Everyone who had attended the overnight strategy meeting at Valdrova Castle immediately began carrying out the plans they had devised.

Isabella rang the great warning bell in the center of Hestia Village, formally declaring a state of war.

The joy of the previous day vanished like a midsummer night's dream, replaced by the beginning of a nightmare.

Even so, Isabella did not simply terrify the townspeople.

She informed them that the situation was dangerous and demanded caution, but she stopped short of inciting panic.

Securing the cooperation of the adventurers staying in the village proved surprisingly easy under Erika's leadership.

"The legendary adventurer Eri is here?"

"Then of course we're joining!"

Ferda hadn't known this, but Erika—or rather, Eri—was a legendary figure even among adventurers.

To the public, the Great Sage Eri was better known by another nickname:

Goldie Hand Eri.

It was said that even a Bronze-rank adventurer could become Gold-rank after passing through her guidance.

After all, she had been one of the Twelve Heroes who defeated the Demon King.

Her experience, wisdom, and ability to adapt in battle had long since been proven.

The fact that such a legend had become the Branch Master of the Far Eastern Adventurers' Guild was enough to ignite the spirits of adventurers everywhere.

After watching for a while, Ferda turned to Isabella.

"So... did she resign as the Blue-Eyes' Tower Master?"

"I doubt it."

"The situation hasn't stabilized yet."

"She'd never abandon that responsibility."

Then how exactly does that work?

He was curious.

But considering she had lived far longer than he had, Ferda decided not to worry about matters that only a Dragonspawn would understand.

***

While Erika rallied the adventurers,

Olivia gathered every noble still inside the castle.

It turned out to be the most effective hangover cure imaginable.

Even the young lords and ladies still half-drunk sobered instantly upon hearing they might soon die.

"W-We need to run!"

"I-I'm leaving!"

Panic spread through the hall almost immediately.

Olivia stepped forward to deal with it.

"Everyone!"

"Please, calm yourselves and listen!"

Her beautiful voice echoed through the banquet hall.

The charisma of the Imperial Princess instantly seized everyone's attention.

"The Far East has been completely isolated."

"If you panic and scatter now, we won't merely lose manpower."

"We'll lose every hope of overcoming this disaster."

Realizing panic itself would only make things worse, the crowd gradually settled.

"This is not the time to flee."

"It's the time to stand together."

"Do you know why wild wolves rarely succeed in bringing down a bull?"

"Because the herd always stands together."

"Each of you alone may seem insignificant..."

"But united..."

"You can become the light that guides us..."

"...and the spear that protects us."

Then—

Tears streamed down Olivia's face.

"Please..."

"Don't let this land..."

"...don't let the Continent of Cerdes..."

"...be swallowed by evil."

The tears of an Imperial Princess.

Their sincerity shook everyone's hearts.

"As fellow children of Cerdes, we cannot stand by!"

"She's right!"

"We survive only if we stand together!"

Agreement spread through the hall like wildfire.

"Thank you!"

"Thank you all!"

Visibly overcome with emotion, Olivia allowed attendants to support her as she left the stage.

The instant she disappeared behind the curtains—

She casually wiped away every trace of tears with her thumb.

"...Phew."

Her voice was now as dry as a desert.

A victorious smile spread across her face.

With an almost foxlike expression, she turned toward Ferda.

"So?"

"How was my speech?"

"...Magnificent."

Rather than begging everyone to help the Empire...

She had convinced them to unite as people of the Continent of Cerdes.

They would no longer be aiding the Empire.

They would simply be fulfilling the duty expected of every noble.

That meant any future rewards they demanded could easily be dismissed or reduced.

She understood the crisis.

She understood the crowd.

And most importantly—

She understood herself.

How did a woman like this ever choose to shatter the original scenario with her own hands?

For a moment, Ferda considered asking.

Instead, he remained silent.

In the end, her past actions had benefited him.

Now was no time for unnecessary conflict.

Momentum mattered more than anything.

"What comes next?"

"I'm going to hold a tactical competition."

"We'll select the Supreme Commander and Chief of Staff."

"Winning that position will become a tremendous stepping stone for someone's future."

"So we're not the only ones trying to turn this crisis into an opportunity."

Olivia smiled.

"If we're going to die anyway..."

"...we might as well try everything we can."

***

Erika had fulfilled her role.

Olivia had fulfilled hers.

Now it was Ferda's turn.

He headed straight for Burnell.

The marquis was busily directing researchers and craftsmen throughout the castle.

"We've increased the efficiency of the mana stones to twenty-five percent."

"Mana leakage has also been reduced."

"In practical terms, the actual improvement is about twenty point three-two percent—slightly better than one-fifth."

His experience in Halim had clearly pushed his research forward.

Ferda picked up one of the crystals.

Compared to the prototypes, its shape had become much more refined, and the interior was noticeably clearer.

"How many shots can one mana stone provide?"

"By lowering the output..."

"Two shots."

"How many rifles and mana stones do we currently have?"

"We've completed one hundred fifty magitech rifles."

"As for mana stones..."

"We have five hundred twenty."

"Since each provides two shots, that's one thousand forty rounds."

"So if every bullet finds its mark..."

"...we can kill one thousand forty monsters."

It wasn't encouraging.

"We don't have much time."

"Can production be increased?"

"The rifles themselves aren't the problem."

"It's the mana stones."

"How many more can you make?"

"Three hundred at most."

Mana stones were refined from monster materials.

Until now, the Pascal Trading Company had supplied everything.

But with those supply lines cut...

Production had effectively stopped.

Sixteen hundred shots.

That's our limit.

Was there another way?

Looking at one of Burnell's magitech rifles, Ferda asked,

"Out of curiosity..."

"Could I simply channel my own mana into the rifle instead?"

Since both methods ultimately used mana...

Wouldn't it work?

Burnell immediately shook his head.

"No."

"The rifle only functions with mana stones."

"I don't quite understand."

"Mana crystals can store mana."

"They can release it again later."

"But mana stones don't work that way."

"They operate through principles and forms of mana that humans simply cannot reproduce."

"So the mana we use..."

"...and the mana inside a mana stone..."

"...are essentially different things."

"Exactly."

I see.

If they had truly been the same...

Then perhaps he could have converted his own corrupted mana into a usable substitute.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind.

How did magitech flourish in the future?

Mana stones existed only because monsters existed.

Yet the future wasn't a world overflowing with monsters like the present.

Naturally, the available resources should have been extremely limited.

His imagination began running wild.

Did Burnell secretly breed monsters...

...then slaughter them for materials?

Could Burnell actually have been plotting to overturn the entire continent...?

Ferda immediately shook his head.

Enough.

There was no point indulging in baseless suspicions outside his field of expertise.

To doubt someone solely because of his own imagination would be deeply unfair.

...I should have studied magitech much more thoroughly.

Regretting the years he had wasted consumed by pointless anger, Ferda forced himself back to reality.

A war was coming.

There was no time for regrets.

"Focus on processing the mana stones first," he instructed.

"We need them ready for immediate use."

"Understood."

The magitech troops had to be organized.

One hundred sixty rifles.

Which meant, in theory, one hundred sixty magitech soldiers.

No... not even that many.

Drawing on crossbow doctrine, Ferda knew that every crossbowman always carried a spare weapon.

Even if they stretched their resources to the limit, they could only field around one hundred soldiers.

One hundred men.

Sixteen hundred shots.

If every shot killed a monster, that meant sixteen hundred kills.

It was an optimistic estimate.

Ferda refused to think optimistically.

Optimism had never once helped him in his life.

***

"Lord Regent."

Almost as if reality wished to prove his point, Isabella entered.

"We've finished distributing all military supplies and completed the barracks arrangements."

"Good work."

The Beginning of Spring Festival celebrated the coming abundance of spring.

Ironically, spring was also the season when food was scarcest.

Fortunately, because Hestia had prepared enormous reserves for the festival and because of the region's unique conditions, they possessed enough food to feed the sudden influx of people.

Had another territory been placed in the same situation...

It would have been a disaster.

At this rate... our food should last at least a month.

But Isabella clearly hadn't come merely to report supplies.

Her usually immaculate hair had become noticeably disheveled.

Whenever Isabella looked untidy, it meant she had encountered a problem with no easy solution.

Forcing herself to speak, she said,

"There's... one major problem."

As expected.

"It's our drinking water."

"Something happened to the waterways?"

Isabella unfolded a map.

Since becoming the territory's administrator, she had carefully documented every major supply route.

Pointing to it, she explained,

"Our water supply comes from rivers flowing down from the north."

"Right."

"The monsters have blocked those rivers."

"And we've confirmed they've contaminated the water itself."

Now he understood why she looked so exhausted.

This was the worst possible development.

"How have we handled it?"

"It seems the Blue-Eyes already acted."

"They diverted the river outside their territory to prevent the contamination from spreading."

"At least that's something."

There would be no secondary disaster.

But that still left them with a severe water shortage.

"What about groundwater?"

"There's still water remaining in the reservoirs."

"If we purify it properly, it's drinkable..."

"But at best..."

"...it'll last one week."

"Then we'll have to ration it."

One week.

In warfare, the most effective strategy was often siege.

Whichever side broke first lost.

It minimized casualties while maximizing effectiveness.

Being surrounded by monsters was even worse than an ordinary siege.

Because this enemy had struck at humanity's greatest weakness.

Water.

By contaminating the water supply itself...

They had severed the lifeline of the entire territory.

And we've already distributed preserved dry rations...

Those foods had almost all their moisture removed.

Which meant people would require more water than usual.

A solution was desperately needed.

"What if we replenish it with water magic?"

"Even if we gathered every mage and had them cast Water Creation continuously..."

"...we'd barely produce enough for the nobles inside the castle."

"The only truly effective option would be rainmaking magic."

"But unless we're in the southern polar regions..."

"...forcing rainfall shortens the lifespan of the territory itself."

"Because it drags weather patterns from elsewhere..."

"Exactly."

Water Creation alone wasn't enough.

Weather magic came with devastating consequences.

Creating rain now could easily trigger a catastrophic drought during the summer when they truly needed it.

The far south, where extreme weather was commonplace, didn't suffer from that problem.

Missing a few meals wouldn't kill anyone.

Lacking water was another matter entirely.

Ferda's next decision had become critically important.

Create rain...

...and sacrifice the land's future.

Launch an immediate offensive...

...without sufficient preparation.

Ask the Iorga clan for help...

...and weaken the Dominion's claim to autonomous authority.

Not a month...

I have to solve this within a week...

It was suffocating.

For the first time, Ferda seriously wondered whether humans alone could overcome this crisis.

After a long silence...

He opened his eyes.

We need water.

Even filthy water could be purified.

Ferda carefully studied Isabella's map.

The original waterways were marked in blue.

Nearby...

Another blue line caught his attention.

"There's another river here."

"There is..."

"But..."

Her hesitant expression made him realize the problem before she explained it.

The river originated deep within the Demonic Lands.

Which meant—

Its waters were saturated with corrupted mana.

Even Ferda, who had been willing to consider muddy water, couldn't honestly say,

"At least it's still water."

What would happen if someone drank it?

The corrupted mana would twist the body's very molecules.

Gradually stripping away humanity.

Transforming the victim into something resembling a Melted.

This wasn't simple poisoning.

It caused horrific mutation.

That was precisely why the Blue-Eyes had diverted the river without waiting for permission.

"Lord Regent."

Isabella spoke carefully.

"I don't believe we can solve this ourselves."

"Even now, it isn't too late."

"Shouldn't we formally request aid from House Iorga?"

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"We need drinking water."

"And right now..."

"...even water flowing from the Demonic Lands has become tempting."

"...Yes."

Burnell, who had been silently listening, suddenly frowned in thought.

His expression changed.

As though he had finally grasped a clue.

He slowly raised three fingers.

"...Three days."

Ferda could feel himself beginning to lean toward Isabella's proposal.

After all, he possessed no miraculous ability capable of solving this problem.

He was only human.

If only water could suddenly spring from the ground...

Reality was never so convenient.

There had to be another way.

"Um... Lord Regent..."

Burnell suddenly interrupted.

"Please."

"Give me just three days."

"I swear I'll find a solution."

Isabella shot him an irritated glare.

"Are you saying you can solve this?"

"I—I can't guarantee it."

"But we only have a week."

"And if we're at the point where we have to gamble..."

"...then please let me try."

Even the descendant of House Iorga—the very bloodline synonymous with water—looked at Burnell with obvious skepticism.

Was entrusting such a problem to a magitech engineer truly wise?

Ferda forced himself to think calmly.

Come to think of it...

He had forgotten what kind of man Burnell really was.

He wasn't a weaponsmith.

He was a man who had always dreamed of giving ordinary people better lives.

"...Very well."

"I'll entrust it to you."

The future of the entire territory was already on the line.

There was no turning back.

Ferda chose to trust the people he himself had believed in and recruited.

Burnell sprinted from the room as though every second mattered.

Watching him disappear, Isabella quietly asked,

"Do you really think that magitech engineer can solve this?"

"I don't know."

But Ferda knew what kind of man Burnell would become in the distant future.

He would become the pioneer of magitech.

The man who sparked an industrial revolution.

He had created mana stones not for war...

...but to improve everyday life.

Rather than making rifles, he had invented farming tools and machines that relieved ordinary people of difficult labor—tasks too exhausting for humans and too trivial for mages.

Perhaps...

Perhaps that desire to improve people's lives had also led him to solve the problem of contaminated water.

Burnell had always shined brightest in times of crisis.

For now...

All Ferda could do was trust his instincts.