SDIV 27

Chapter 27

With exhaustion weighing down his body, Lemain effortlessly sliced off one wing of the rice moth. As the moth collapsed, it released a suffocating amount of gray poison dust.

He touched the cloth covering his nose and mouth to confirm his makeshift mask was still in place. It was a temporary measure to block the dust from entering his respiratory system—far better than having nothing at all.

Since the mask had to be washed after every battle, they were always in short supply. As a result, non-aura users had naturally taken on the roles of making and washing masks, while aura and mana users focused on combat.

“Ugh.”

Billy, the least skilled at using aura, collapsed while clutching his grotesquely disfigured arm. His skin had turned red and inflamed in patches. The poisonous dust caused necrosis at a terrifyingly fast rate. If not treated quickly, the toxin would spread throughout his body.

“Damn it…”

Four giant moths lunged viciously toward Billy, intent on finishing him off.

“Billy!”

Alpha, who doted on his juniors, tried to jump in and take them down—but he fell just one step short.

Everyone thought Billy would be taken out by the moths. That’s when a savior appeared.

“Wind.”

A clear voice rang out in the air, and the moths were torn to shreds.

Lemain, wearing a strange half-face mask and a large men’s robe, stared blankly at the figure who had arrived.

“Wait… Arin, is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me!”

It was Arin, her familiar voice unmistakable.

“What are you wearing?”

“The magic robe belongs to Deneb, and the mask is the famous KF94. What do you mean, ‘what am I wearing’? This thing is amazing!”

She pouted her lips in protest, but since she was wearing a beak-style mask, it didn’t show at all.

[System]
Beak-style KF94 Mask: Blocks all harmful viruses and dust in the world while supplying clean oxygen.
Effect lasts for 24 hours after opening the package.

Arin firmly pressed down the nose clip of her mask and grabbed insecticide cans in both hands. It was time to bring hell to these disgusting bugs.

“Die!”

With a firm press of her index finger, the button triggered a spray of insecticide. Moths hit by the fog-like mist flailed in agony and collapsed to the ground. Lemain cheered as he watched seven moths die miserably.

“Holy crap, I don’t know what that is, but it’s killing them!”

“It’s a powerful insecticide developed by Lord Haishan.”

She claimed Haishan had made it, but that was a lie. The items in her hands were actually from the system. Arin pulled more insecticide cans from her bag and handed them out to the entire knight order.

“One per person. If you lose it, I’ll make you pay. Take good care of them.”

The moment Alpha received his can, he began spraying like a man possessed—spritz, dodge, spritz, dodge—defeating bugs with minimal use of the product and nonstop motion.

In contrast, Lemain seemed so disgusted by the rice moths that he drenched them in insecticide and then slashed wildly with his sword. As an aura user, one swing was enough to wipe them out en masse. Lemain shuddered at the sight of the insect remains.

“Ugh, that’s disgusting. I might puke.”

The knights nearby glared at him for dry heaving.

“Captain, please don’t make that sound. You’ll make me gag too. Ugh…”

The Second Order of Knights—burly in appearance but weak-stomached in reality.

[We’ve burned down every grain warehouse except one. Lemain is now heading to clear the last one with an uninjured squad. Should be done within three hours.]

Inside the most lavish office in the fortress, Deneb leisurely listened to Arin’s clear voice flowing from a crystal orb the size of a fist.

“Three hours? Then you won’t be punished.”

[That punishment thing—were you being serious?]

His finger traced down the orb. A faint light shimmered from the crystal, casting a deep shadow across his face.

“I’m not the type to joke.”

[Wow. You’ve really got a killer personality.]

He could picture the expression on her face and chuckled lightly, tapping the orb.

“We don’t have much time to talk. Let’s end the call. Contact me again when you’re ready to depart.”

The crystal orb was a magical communication item that came in pairs. The duration of each call was limited depending on the distance. Their pair allowed for about 10 minutes of communication.

[How could I refuse your command? Fine. Talk to you later.]

“Yeah.”

Deneb waited silently for the connection to end. Once the flow of mana completely ceased, he tucked the orb back into his coat.

Knock knock.

“Your Grace. It’s Chief Steward Atorei.”

“Come in.”

Atorei entered and bowed deeply under Deneb’s piercing gaze.

“What is it?”

“…Your Grace. I believe the cockroaches… may be spreading a disease.”

“Raise your head.”

Atorei’s expression was filled with sincerity. Deneb leaned back casually in his chair.

“Tell me the truth.”

“Recently, Laura and Koon developed high fevers. At the time, we didn’t suspect an infection because Lord Haishan, who had contact with them, showed no symptoms. But then the attendant who carried Koon fell ill with the same symptoms. After that, the one who shared a room with the attendant also became ill.”

Atorei took a deep breath, signaling the situation’s severity.

“Do you remember the soldier who captured a cockroach crawling along the fortress wall two days ago?”

“I remember.”

“He’s burning up with fever today. And… just now, Lord Haishan collapsed with the same symptoms. I suspect mana users show symptoms later than others.”

“Atorei.”

Atorei flinched at Deneb’s low voice—a voice that sent chills down people’s spines.

“Y-Yes, Your Grace?”

“How many people know about this?”

“Only me and the head maid.”

“I expect you to keep it that way. Tell the First Order commander to move quickly.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

As soon as Atorei left the office, Deneb smirked.

“Asilla… so that’s your move? I won’t fall so easily.”

He pulled the crystal orb from his coat once more.

“What do you mean, ‘Don’t come’?”

[There’s an outbreak.]

“What?”

[A disease has spread within the fortress. The infected have been moved to treatment facilities, but it could spread in an instant.]

“Excuse me? This isn’t the time to be so relaxed. What about the plan?”

[…I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.]

‘I swear, I just want to smack him.’

Arin clenched her fist in frustration. If he’d been in front of her, she might’ve punched him.

“Ugh, whatever. Is Ad doing okay?”

[He’s clinging to his father and won’t let go.]

Arin imagined little Ad giggling and Altair doting on him. It eased her mind. The previous Duke was a reliable guardian.

“We’ve cleared all the warehouses here. We’re currently chasing the moths that escaped. A lot of people were affected by the poison, so I told everyone the ointments and potions came from you and Lord Haishan.”

[You did well.]

“…What?”

Arin scratched her ear in disbelief at the unexpected praise.

[I said, you did well.]

It wasn’t sarcasm—it was genuine. His soft voice left her momentarily stunned.

[Keep doing well.]

‘There it is.’

She sighed with a flat expression.

“Lemain is outside, coordinating the troops. Any message for him?”

[Tell him the Imperial Family has ordered the voluntary lockdown of the duchy to prevent the spread of these giant pests. The Crown Prince will be dispatched to assess the situation—but it’s likely a cover for surveillance. He’ll arrive in the village of Kogain within a couple of days. Lemain should keep a close eye on him.]

Arin’s breath caught at the words “Crown Prince.”

Oh no. The Crown Prince of the Procyon Empire was the male lead in the original novel—the one who would bring down Deneb. Her legs trembled with anxiety.

“I’ll pass the message. And I’ll call you again tonight.”

[Call me anytime…]

Someone knocked from Deneb’s side of the crystal orb.

[Knock knock.]

[Arin, I have to go.]

With his calm farewell, the light in the orb flickered and faded. Arin slapped both her cheeks hard.

Smack!

‘Get a grip. The original story is about to begin.’

Asilla paced back and forth in her bedroom, unable to sleep.

“He said the cockroaches would protect me… So why do they seem to be appearing more around me?”

She took out a small glass jar with a black lid from her pajama pocket.

“This should be keeping me safe… but still…”

She shivered as she remembered the cockroach she’d encountered on a recent walk. She’d felt certain it was crawling along the fortress wall toward her. If the guard hadn’t thrown himself to catch it, it would’ve surely lunged at her.

Asilla gnawed anxiously at her sharp fingernails, unaware they were cutting into her lips. Her compulsive behavior continued for some time.