Chapter 131 - Drinking Water

The morning sun rose indifferently.

Everyone who had attended the meeting at Valdrova Castle began carrying out the plans they had devised the previous night.

Isabella rang the warning bell in the center of Hestia Village, declaring that they were now in a state of war.

The joy they had shared just yesterday scattered like a midsummer night’s dream, and the nightmare began.

Even so, Isabella did not recklessly instill fear into the people.

She merely made them understand that the current situation required caution.

The cooperation of the adventurers staying in the village came easily under Erika’s command.

"So the legendary adventurer Eri has come here?"

"Of course we have to join!!"

Ferda did not know it, but Erika—or rather, Eri—was a legendary figure even among adventurers.

To the public, she was known as the Great Sage Eri, or Goldy Hand Eri.

Her reputation came from the belief that even a Bronze-rank adventurer could rise to Gold-rank after passing through her guidance.

She was one of the twelve members of the expedition that killed the Demon King.

Her experience, wisdom, and ability to adapt in any situation had already been thoroughly proven.

For such a legendary figure to become the branch chief of the Far East Adventurers’ Guild was enough to ignite the morale of every adventurer who admired her.

Then Ferda turned to Isabella with a question.

"So, did she step down from her position as the master of the Blue Eye Magic Tower?"

"I don’t believe so. The state of the nation hasn’t stabilized yet. She couldn’t possibly act so irresponsibly."

Then how does that work?

He was curious, but since she was a Dragon Spawn who had lived far longer than he had, he decided not to worry unnecessarily.

While Erika was persuading the adventurers, Olivia gathered the nobles inside the castle and addressed them.

Nothing sobered people up faster than her speech.

Even the young noble ladies and gentlemen who were still half-drunk snapped awake the moment they heard they might soon die.

"S-Shouldn’t we run away immediately?"

"I-I think I’ll be leaving now..."

Some immediately began looking for ways to escape in a panic.

The banquet hall descended into chaos in the blink of an eye.

Handling them fell to Olivia.

"Everyone! Please calm down and listen to me!"

At that moment, Olivia’s beautiful voice echoed throughout the banquet hall.

The charisma of the Imperial Princess seized everyone’s attention.

"The Far East is currently isolated. If we panic and flee now, it will mean a loss of our fighting strength! And it isn’t merely a loss of manpower. It would mean abandoning all hope of overcoming this crisis!"

Her words—that panic would only cause them to lose even more—gradually calmed everyone.

"Now is not the time to run. It is the time to stand together. Do you know why wild wolves cannot easily bring down a bull? Because bulls always stay together. Even if each of your individual strengths seems insignificant, united, you can become the beacon that guides us through this darkness... and the spear that pierces it! So..."

Olivia let tears stream down her face.

"Please... don’t let this land... don’t let the Cerdes Continent... be taken by the Demons... Please lend us your strength..."

The tears of the Imperial Princess.

Their sincerity was enough to shake everyone’s hearts.

"As fellow people of the Cerdes Continent, we cannot stand by and do nothing!"

"She’s right! Only by standing together can we survive!"

Agreement spread through the crowd like wildfire across an autumn field.

"Thank you! Everyone!! Thank you so very much!!"

Overcome with emotion, Olivia allowed herself to be supported as she left the stage.

The instant she stepped away from the crowd, she casually wiped away her tears with her thumb.

"Phew."

The moisture vanished from her voice as though it had become a barren wasteland, while a victorious smile appeared on her face.

Wearing a mischievous expression, she asked Ferda,

"So? What did you think of my speech?"

"...Magnificent."

Rather than simply asking everyone to help the Empire, she had guided them into uniting as people of the Cerdes Continent.

Their participation was no longer aid sent to the Empire—it had become the natural duty of every citizen of the continent.

That meant even if they demanded compensation later, the amount they could reasonably request would be significantly reduced.

She understood the current situation, understood the crowd, and understood herself as well.

Why would a woman like this ever shatter the scenario herself and do something like that?

He considered asking her.

But he remained silent.

In the end, what had happened back then had benefited Ferda.

Now was no time for unnecessary arguments.

What they needed now was to build on this momentum.

"What will you do next?"

"I’m planning to hold a tactical competition to select the Supreme Commander and the Chief of Staff. Becoming Supreme Commander would be a tremendous stepping stone for anyone’s career."

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

"If we’re going to die anyway, we might as well try everything we can, right?"

Erika and Olivia had each fulfilled their respective roles.

Now it was Ferda’s turn to do what only he could.

That was why he went to find Vernel.

The man was busily working alongside the castle’s researchers and laborers.

"We’ve increased the efficiency of the Mana Stones to twenty-five percent. We’ve also reduced mana leakage, so the effective improvement comes to about twenty point three two percent—slightly better than one-fifth."

The events in Halim had clearly inspired them, and the progress was remarkable.

Ferda picked up one of the crystals.

Compared to before, it had gradually taken on a proper shape, and its interior had become much clearer.

"How many shots can one Mana Stone fire?"

"By adjusting the output, it can fire two shots."

"And how many rifles and Mana Stones do we have?"

"We currently have one hundred fifty Magitech Rifles, along with five hundred twenty Mana Stones to power them. Since each Mana Stone can fire two shots after adjusting the output, that gives us a total of one thousand forty rounds."

"So if every shot hits, we can kill one thousand forty monsters."

That was hardly encouraging.

"We don’t have much time. Can production be increased?"

"We can somehow manufacture more rifles... but the problem is the Mana Stones."

"How many more can you produce?"

"Judging by our supplies, three hundred more is the absolute limit."

Mana Stones were produced by processing monsters.

They had been supplied through the Pascal Trading Company.

Now that supply line had been severed, no more could be manufactured afterward.

So sixteen hundred rounds is the limit.

Isn’t there some better way?

Looking down at the Magitech Rifle Vernel had built, Ferda asked,

"I’m curious about something..."

"Yes?"

"Could I replenish the rifle with my own mana and fire it that way?"

Since both involved using mana, he assumed it might be possible.

Contrary to his expectations, however, Vernel shook his head.

"That’s impossible. The mechanism only works with Mana Stones."

"I don’t quite understand."

"Mana crystals can store mana and release it later. Mana Stones don’t work that way. They operate through a type of mana and a principle that humans simply cannot replicate."

"So the mana we use and the mana contained inside Mana Stones are fundamentally different."

"Exactly."

That made sense.

If they had been identical—or even similar—then it might have been possible to convert Junk Mana into a usable form.

Then, a thought about the distant future suddenly crossed his mind.

How exactly did the revival of Magitech Engineering happen?

The only reason Mana Stones could be extracted at all was because monsters existed.

This wasn’t an era overflowing with monsters like the present.

Naturally, the available resources should have been extremely limited.

Ferda let his imagination wander.

Did Vernel secretly mass-produce and slaughter monsters illegally...?

Was Vernel actually plotting to overthrow the continent...

Ferda vigorously shook his head.

He erased the useless speculation from his mind.

It was rude to suspect someone in a field he himself knew nothing about.

I should have looked into it more thoroughly.

Regretting the time he had wasted dwelling only on meaningless anger, he forced himself back to reality.

They had to prepare for the coming war.

"For now, focus on processing the Mana Stones first. We need them immediately."

"Understood."

They had to organize the Magitech Infantry.

One hundred sixty rifles.

That meant they could field one hundred sixty Magitech Infantry soldiers.

No... not even one hundred sixty.

Based on how crossbowmen were organized, each one always carried an extra crossbow as a spare.

Even stretching things as much as possible, they could probably field only one hundred soldiers.

One hundred soldiers.

Sixteen hundred shots.

Sixteen hundred kills, assuming every shot found its mark.

That would be ideal.

But Ferda refused to think so optimistically.

Optimism had never once helped him in his life.

"Your Highness the Regent."

As if proving his point, Isabella arrived.

"We’ve distributed all the war supplies and finished assigning everyone to the barracks."

"Well done."

The Festival of the Beginning of Spring was a celebration praying for the abundance of spring.

Spring marked the beginning of life.

Ironically, however, it was also the poorest season of the year.

Fortunately, thanks to the region’s unique characteristics and the preparations made for the festival, enormous quantities of food had already been stored.

That allowed them to support the sudden increase in mouths to feed.

Had another territory faced the same situation, the outcome would have been disastrous.

At a simple estimate, our food supply should last at least a month.

But it didn’t seem like Isabella had come merely to report that.

Her normally neat hair was disheveled.

If someone as meticulous as Isabella looked this untidy, it could only mean she had encountered a problem she couldn’t solve.

Forcing apart her dry lips, she spoke.

"However... we’ve encountered one problem."

As expected.

"Our drinking water."

"Has something happened to the waterways?"

"Yes."

Isabella unfolded a map she had brought.

Ever since becoming the administrator, she had carefully documented the flow of every major resource.

"If you look here, our water source comes from the north."

"That’s right."

"The monsters have blocked that route... and we’ve also confirmed that they’re contaminating the drinking water."

Now he understood why her hair was in such disarray.

This was the worst possible situation.

"So what measures have been taken?"

"It seems the Blue Eye faction already acted. To prevent the contamination from spreading, they diverted the river outside our territory."

"That’s fortunate."

There would be no secondary contamination.

Even so, they still faced a severe water shortage.

"What about groundwater?"

"There’s still water in the reservoir. As long as we purify it properly, it’s drinkable... but at best, it’ll only last one week."

"Then we’ll have to ration it."

One week.

In war, besieging a castle and waiting was common practice.

It became a contest to see which side would collapse and surrender first.

That strategy caused the least casualties while being the most effective.

Being surrounded by monsters created an even more effective siege than any human army could.

Especially because of water.

By contaminating the very water humans needed to survive, the monsters were cutting off their lifeline.

And we’ve distributed nothing but preserved dried rations...

Since those foods had all their moisture removed, people would need even more water than usual.

They needed a solution.

"What if we have the mages create water with magic?"

"Even if we gathered every mage and had them cast Water Creation Magic, it would barely produce enough for the nobles inside the castle. The spell that truly helps in situations like this is Cloud Summoning Magic, but unless we’re in the Southern Region’s tundra, it shortens the lifespan of the territory itself. We have to use it with extreme caution."

"Because it draws in the climate itself..."

Water Creation Magic could not replenish their supply.

The problem with climate magic was the devastating aftermath.

It could easily cause a severe drought during the summer, precisely when the territory actually needed rain.

The Southern Region, where extreme weather such as torrential rain and drought was already common, did not suffer from that drawback.

Skipping a few meals would not kill anyone.

Water was an entirely different matter.

Ferda’s decision had suddenly become critically important.

If he created rain clouds, he would shorten the lifespan of the territory.

If he instead sought a quick decisive battle, they still weren’t prepared.

The one person capable of resolving this situation was Iorga.

But if she intervened, their ability to exercise self-governance would be weakened.

Not a month... I have to break through this situation in only one week...?

It was cruel.

He truly began to wonder whether this crisis could really be resolved through human means alone.

After agonizing over it for quite some time, he finally opened his eyes.

We have to find water.

Whether it was muddy water or filthy sewage, it could be made drinkable if it was properly purified.

Ferda examined the map Isabella had spread out.

The original waterway was marked with a blue line.

Another blue-marked route nearby caught his attention.

"There’s another waterway here."

"There is, but..."

Her response was hesitant.

Ferda had pointed at it almost instinctively, only realizing the problem a moment later.

Its source lay deep within the Land of Demons.

In other words, it was contaminated water filled with impurities such as Junk Mana.

Even Ferda, who was willing to settle for filthy water, found it difficult to say, At least it’s a water source.

What would happen if people drank it?

The Junk Mana would distort the molecules inside the human body.

As a result, people would lose their humanity and gradually transform into something closer to a Melted.

It wasn’t merely water that made people sick.

It was deadly water that caused mutation.

That was why the Blue Eye faction had diverted the river’s course without even needing to be asked.

"Your Highness the Regent."

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Isabella spoke cautiously.

"I’m afraid this is beyond our ability to handle. It isn’t too late yet. Wouldn’t it be better to formally request Iorga’s assistance?"

"..."

Ferda could feel himself beginning to lean toward that option.

If he possessed some extraordinary ability capable of overcoming this crisis, it would be one thing.

But he was nothing more than a mere human.

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

Of course, reality would never be so accommodating.

They needed another solution.

"Y-Your Highness the Regent..."

While Ferda was deep in thought, Vernel interrupted.

"What is it?"

"We need drinking water, correct? And we’re at the point where we’d even need water coming from the Land of Demons, right?"

"That’s about the situation."

After hearing that, Vernel fell into deep thought.

Then, as though he had found a clue, he looked up and raised three fingers.

"Three days."

"...?"

"Please give me exactly three days. I will absolutely find a solution!"

Isabella shot Vernel an irritated glare.

"Are you saying you can solve this problem?"

"I-I can’t promise anything. But we only have one week, and if there’s ever a time to take a gamble, then please... just give me a little time!"

Even Isabella, a spawn of Iorga, the Aspect of Water, looked at him with complete distrust.

Ferda wondered whether entrusting the matter to Vernel was really the right decision.

Suppressing his impatience, he considered it more carefully.

Come to think of it...

Ferda suddenly realized he had forgotten what kind of man Vernel truly was.

He wasn’t merely someone who made weapons.

He was a man who had wanted to give ordinary people a better life.

"I’ll trust you with it."

They had already staked the future of the territory on this battle.

There was no turning back now.

Ferda decided to trust the people he himself had chosen to recruit.

As though every second counted, Vernel dashed off at full speed.

Watching him disappear, Isabella turned to Ferda.

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

"I can’t say for certain."

However, Ferda had a rough idea of what Vernel would become in the distant future.

He would become the pioneer of Magitech Engineering, the man who sparked a technological revolution.

The reason he had created Mana Stones was to improve the lives of ordinary people.

Instead of making rifles, he developed farming tools and machines that performed tasks too difficult for ordinary humans and too trivial for mages to bother with.

Could that advancement of everyday life have included solving the problem of contaminated water?

Vernel had always been strongest in times of crisis.

For now, Ferda had no choice but to trust Vernel’s instincts.