Chapter 52

Change

Morning came with pure white snow blanketing the land. It was still early for the day to begin in Whitewolf county, but people were already stirring throughout the village.

“Jason! Where are you off to so early?”

“... Hm? Oh, I’m heading to the snow forest to cut some wood!”

“The snow forest? Alone? That’s dangerous!”

In Whitewolf county, the snow forest meant the deep, dark woods in the snowfields. As the name suggested, it was a dense forest of trees covered in snow all year round. It was a special region where some vegetation survived even the bitter cold, sustaining an ecosystem, however meager.

“What will you do if you run into a monster?”

Monsters from the snowy mountains often descended into the forest in search of prey. Humans were not the only ones who struggled to find food in this frigid environment. Especially in winter, as it was now, food grew drastically scarcer for the monsters as well. It was all but certain that they would come down into the snow forest, and yet...

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Jason waved away the concern.

“Lord Adrian wiped out all the monsters for us, remember?”

The monster legion had swept down on the county like an avalanche. It was no exaggeration to say it had brought every monster in the snowy mountains with it. Adrian had faced that legion alone, then wiped it out in one fell swoop, eradicating the monsters. And with the death of its leader, the lycanthrope, the remaining monsters in the legion had scattered.

“There’s nothing to worry about!”

It was safe to say that the snow forest was now free of threats. Jason tightened the straps of his carrying frame. And he was far from the only one venturing out.

“I’ll be sure to catch a nice, plump one!”

“I should gather some snowgrass leaves while I’m there.”

Some were heading into the snow forest to hunt, others to gather medicinal herbs.

“Snow smelt gather under the ice this time of year. Let’s get going before we’re too late.”

Still others were heading down to the tundra to cast their nets. People could go about earning their livelihoods without fear.

“Everyone really has changed lately.”

“You can say that again. On days like this, people used to shut their doors tight and stay inside.”

The county’s circumstances had changed as completely as its people’s view of Adrian. Add to that the supplies he had procured from Frecce, and...

“At this rate, we’ve got nothing to fear from winter this year, have we?”

“To think I’d live to see a winter when I could eat my fill and stay warm.”

“I can hardly remember the last time our children weren’t going hungry...”

The season of bitter cold had arrived in earnest, but the county had not frozen over. Warmth spread throughout the village, and the healthy laughter of children rang out here and there.

“I can’t believe we owe all this to Lord Adrian, that wastrel of the count’s house! I just can’t!”

The count’s wastrel son, who had once spent his days drinking and causing trouble at every opportunity. But now his people’s opinion of him had changed completely.

“Shame on you! A wastrel, you say?”

“Watch your mouth!”

“That’s right! If it weren’t for Lord Adrian, we’d all have frozen to death!”

“Frozen to death? Those vicious monsters would have eaten us!”

To the people of the territory, Adrian was no longer a wastrel.

“Lord Adrian is the county’s benefactor! Our benefactor!”

And so, under the name of a man no longer called a wastrel...

“The square was really crowded today.”

“It was. Everyone’s been busy lately.”

“It’s not like it used to be. It feels... like we’re actually living now!”

Slowly but surely, the county began to regain its proper character as a thriving territory.

* * *

◆Your people’s affinity toward you is increasing!!

A message suddenly flashed before my eyes. At the same time, a string of additional messages appeared.

◆Your people’s affinity toward you has reached [Friendliness]!

◆People in the [Friendliness] state display a friendly and positive attitude toward you.

◆Your people are eager to offer assistance and cooperate with you. You may receive support in combat or particular situations, or request help in a crisis.

Apparently, the Sudden Quest reward had just taken effect. Unfortunately...

'It’s not Trust yet.'

It hadn’t reached [Trust], the condition required to clear the Territory Quest. That meant the quest remained uncleared... but that was fine. With things going as they were, reaching [Trust] before the deadline wouldn’t be too difficult. Besides, that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“Are you nearly done?”

“All ready!”

At my question, the maids hurried over with their baskets. They began taking out the contents one by one and explaining.

“This is absorbent cotton. If Lady Seraphia’s lips get dry, you can use it to moisten them.”

“Replace her bedsheets with these, and just leave the soiled ones outside. We’ll collect them and wash them.”

“There’s fresh pillow stuffing here, too. Nice and soft.”

“This is a medicinal herb sachet, and that’s an herbal wet towel. And then...”

What were those baskets, an Inventory? Things just kept coming out of them.

“This pad prevents bedsores. Put it behind Lady Seraphia’s back to ease the pressure. If she lies down for too long, the poor circulation could damage her back.”

“Here are the handkerchiefs, and this is a microfiber blanket. It’s gentler against the skin.”

“By the way, you procured all of these yourself, Lord Adrian!”

... There certainly was a lot.

“It’s rather a lot, isn’t it...?”

“We’re sorry. This should be our job...”

Only now noticing my expression, the maids began watching me nervously. One even squeezed her eyes shut, apparently certain I would throw a fit this time. Granted, nursing Seraphia wasn’t exactly something I wanted to do...

“It’s fine.”

“Huh...?”

“There’s no helping the circumstances. Don’t worry about it.”

“O-oh...”

“Thank you so much for understanding.”

The maids all bowed to me.

“Is that everything I’ll need?”

“Yes. For now.”

... For now?

“Lying down for long periods affects circulation, so you may need things like massage oil or compresses.”

It brought home once again just how ridiculously overpowered Regeneration[B+] was. ... Well, anyway. I stored the baskets they had prepared in my Inventory. The maids’ eyes widened, but only for a moment.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

I turned toward Seraphia’s room.

* * *

Adrian walked away. Once he had vanished completely from sight...

“... Did you hear that?” one maid murmured.

“I did! I absolutely did!”

“‘Thank you for your hard work’...!!”

“I nearly lost my mind before that, when he said, ‘Don’t worry about it’!”

“He’s become so sweet!”

The other maids bounced up and down where they stood.

“Oh, oh! Did you know I actually spoke to Lord Adrian first earlier?”

“What?! Really?!”

“Yes.”

“No way! Amazing!”

“What did you say?”

“Just... ‘Isn’t your training exhausting?’”

“Oh my, oh my.”

“And then?”

“He didn’t slap you?”

“No, not at all! He actually answered me!”

“Really? Lord Adrian answered you?”

“Yes! In the kindest voice, he said—”

[“Training is supposed to be exhausting.”]

“Can you believe it?!”

“Amazing!!!”

“Absolutely amazing!!!”

“Oh! Then maybe I should try talking to him first later...?”

“Huh? Lena, are you attending Lord Adrian today?”

Once, attending Adrian had been a duty everyone dreaded and avoided. Now it was the opposite.

“Well, you see, I’m on library duty this afternoon.”

“Library duty is so easy.”

“Exactly! So won’t you swap with me?”

“What? No.”

“Oh, whyyy...!”

“Look at you! What are you whining for?”

“Just this once, please? I want to try talking to Lord Adrian first, toooo...!”

And so...

“No. Absolutely not.”

“You’re so mean!”

“Mean or not, the answer is no.”

“Then swap with me! Today I’m—”

“No, thank you!”

Attending Adrian had become the most coveted assignment among the maids.

* * *

Seraphia’s room was as hot as a gigantic furnace. Fierce flames poured continuously from the huge brazier in the middle of the room, heating every corner. Firewood was being shoveled in almost constantly to maintain that heat.

Thirty percent of the firewood I had purchased in Frecce was being used here. When I checked the room’s temperature with Predatory Instincts[S]...

◆The room’s temperature is [253 degrees Celsius].

... At this point, it was a wonder the room hadn’t caught fire. Yet Seraphia’s body, lying on the bed, remained cold.

'Hmm...'

I gazed quietly at Seraphia, whose breathing was so faint she might have been dead.

'It’s already been five days.'

Five days had passed since she collapsed. She still hadn’t regained consciousness and still hovered between life and death. More precisely, she was slowly dying. In the end, drastic measures had been unavoidable. The result was this room, now approaching 253 degrees Celsius.

That was why I was nursing her now. I wasn’t particularly keen on it, but there was no choice. The maids couldn’t last even ten seconds in here before they were overcome.

Kai and I were the only ones who could withstand this furnace of a room. I could endure it through the temperature regulation of Toughened Skin[B], while Kai could rely on his aura-powered Immortality.

But Kai had suffered a potentially fatal wound at the lycanthrope’s hands. Immortality had kept him alive, but he needed time to replenish his aura. So I had no choice but to look after Seraphia.

'Hmm...'

Over the past five days, I had pondered what to do with her.

There was no need to kill Seraphia right now. But that didn’t mean there was any need to save her. Even if she hadn’t awakened as the Sovereign of Bitter Cold yet, there was no telling when something like this might happen again. I didn’t know when, where, how, or why she would fall. If she awakened as the Sovereign of Bitter Cold and fell at the same time, there truly would be no stopping her.

The Authority she had displayed this time was on another level. Seeing it firsthand had made one thing clear: defeat would be all but inevitable.

'If I simply devoured Seraphia now instead...'

Then I could wield the Authority of bitter cold. With no fear of being consumed by the Madness of Predation[S+] as I had in my previous life, I could surpass not only the Predator I had once been, but even a Sovereign in a single leap.

Seraphia happened to be unconscious. Kai couldn’t move, either. This was the perfect opportunity to devour the Sovereign of Bitter Cold with Predation[S+]... but.

◆Seraphia is afflicted with [Curse Effects].

Curse of Bitter Cold[P]. As its name suggested, it was a curse. According to Predatory Instincts[S], its effects included [Physical Weakening], [Freezing Inducement], [Mental Confusion], and [Sensory Paralysis]. It would be no surprise if someone afflicted with it died at any moment.

What would happen if I devoured Seraphia with Predation[S+]? By its very mechanics, I would “absorb” the curse. Using Predation[S+] on her now would be a poor decision.

More importantly...

'Who knows what kind of shit Ian would pull?'

I had no confidence I could deal with the fit Ian would throw when I met him later. Knowing his personality, it wouldn’t be any ordinary fit.

'He’d raise absolute fucking hell.'

I still hadn’t heard his answer: why he had regretted killing Seraphia. There had to be a rational reason. Until I heard it, I would have to...

'Keep her alive.'

In the end, I couldn’t simply let her die. Of course, if she had already awakened as the Sovereign of Bitter Cold, I intended to kill her immediately.

'But she doesn’t seem to have awakened.'

For several reasons, I couldn’t leave her to die. Keeping her alive was the better choice for now. It wouldn’t be too late to kill her after hearing why Ian had regretted it.

'The problem is how to save her...'

The first thing that came to mind was heating her body. My gaze naturally drifted toward the blazing pit of fire in the brazier at the center of the room.

◆The temperature inside the brazier is [1,012 degrees Celsius].

'Should I throw her in there?'

It was an excellent idea. If I tossed the ice-cold Seraphia into that blazing-hot brazier, her body would warm up in no time.

I easily lifted her into my arms. She was dry and light as a fallen leaf. I was about to throw her straight into the flames when I paused.

“... Probably shouldn’t, right?”

Deciding it probably wouldn’t work, I laid her back on the bed. After all, according to Predatory Instincts[S], the Thermal Energy Deficit was occurring inside her body, not outside it. So throwing her into the brazier was out.

“Hmm...”

I stood quietly in thought, considering how to save her.

This was the first I had learned that Seraphia suffered from Curse of Bitter Cold[P]. I had known her body was frail. But I hadn’t known that Curse of Bitter Cold[P] was the cause.

I had known that she wielded the Authority of bitter cold. But I hadn’t known it was Curse of Bitter Cold[P]. In short, I had never learned anything about her condition. And information I had never learned was information I couldn’t know.

A way to restore her health. A way to keep her alive. Neither existed in my head.

But now I had Predatory Instincts[S], an ability that allowed me to know even unlearned information a priori.

Human language is experiential and learned. To use language, a child must first go through the process of hearing and learning their parents’ speech.

Breathing, however, is different. A newborn baby can breathe without anyone teaching it how. Even without being taught how to take its first steps, it will naturally begin to walk as time passes.

That is because it possesses that knowledge and information a priori (Priori). Because during ten months in its mother’s womb, it has already acquired and learned millions of years of evolution. Those are the instincts and a priori knowledge of the human species.

Predatory Instincts[S], an Authority bestowed by the Sovereign of Beasts, went beyond human instinctive knowledge to encompass the instinctive knowledge of every living thing in this world.

Herbivores such as deer, goats, and sheep eat a variety of plants, yet possess an instinctive ability to distinguish poisonous ones.

A mouse seeing a snake for the first time instinctively tries to flee.

Some creatures locate streams by detecting the scent of wet earth.

The Sovereign of Beasts was a chimera that combined all these living things. Thus, Predatory Instincts[S] could be called the sum of the instincts and a priori knowledge of every living creature in this world.

When I activated Predatory Instincts[S], the genetic information accumulated by countless life-forms identified and analyzed Seraphia’s condition.

Added to that were my memories of my previous life: the knowledge and experience I had gained as Chief of Covert Operations in the special warfare unit. All that knowledge, information, and experience connected, revealing every detail of her condition.

Countless pieces of information unfolded and recombined, again and again. How much time had passed?

'I think... I have a rough idea.'

Several medicinal ingredients that could alleviate her symptoms came to mind. They were precious ingredients commonly called “elixirs.” Among them, I identified those with the particular properties I needed, much as herbivores recognized poisonous plants.

They were, however, quite difficult to obtain.

'I’ll have to try finding them in the trading city of Frecce.'

I had been planning a second trading expedition anyway. Although nothing could be done about the legion the lycanthrope had brought with him, I had used Predation[S+] on every single monster in the legion that had attacked the county. In other words, there was an enormous stockpile of monster meat, and all of it was money.

'I can pick them up while I’m there.'

I was just about to head straight for Frecce when it happened.

◆You have acquired the derived skill, ‘Find Weakness[U]’!

A message suddenly appeared before my eyes, announcing that I had acquired a new skill.