"...huh..."

　Ray, who was sleeping in bed wrapped in a futon, moans and raises his upper body. But the next moment he goes back into the comforter.
　for a few minutes Maybe she's finally becoming conscious, Rei gets out of bed again.

"Ah... oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah."

　Look around and figure out where you are in the room you don't know.
　The inn is somewhat inferior to the evening Wheat-tei, which is a regular inn in the town of Gilm. Naturally, there were no luxury items like heating magic items, and the room was enveloped in the chilly winter air.
　The inn was guided by Guildmaster Seis, but in the first place, the town of Guillum, where merchants and nobles come to the frontier, and the town of Barr, which is close to the frontier but ultimately just a countryside. "Considering such things, even though it is a top-class inn, the quality and comfort of the facilities are naturally far short of the former." Ray heard from Seith that the food was quite famous, but as long as the city of Barr is now blocked and rationed, it is impossible to cook elaborate food, and for some reason it was impossible to expect food.

"Well, the blockade will be lifted soon."

　The magic fever remedy is basically effective overnight. In other words, I don't know how many people Ray has made since he arrived yesterday, but a considerable number of people should be recovering from his magical fever.

"...I'm sure you've said that Sasanas is coming." Shall we finish breakfast before that?"

　Recalling black bread baked to preserve in the cafeteria the night before and soup containing little vegetables or meat, he changes clothes and trims himself.
　It's Ray and Set, who were originally eating and drinking to satisfy their appetite, rather than eating at the dusk Wheat House. Of course, it should not be enough to have a rationed meal, but it is impossible for us to eat the various dishes in the mistling alone while everyone is equally poor.

(At least we should eat somewhere out of sight. Anyway, I must secure Seto's meal somehow."

　He muttered to himself, but he was going downstairs, sighing that as long as he had to find out the cause of the fever with Sasanas, it would be difficult.
　When I got up and got out of bed, I felt very cold, but when I put on my dragon robe, it disappeared into the back of my mind.





"Good morning,"

　A pale young man in his twenties bowed his head to Ray as he descended to the ground floor.
　This young man is not the man who runs the inn, but an adventurer. However, his parents, who were running the inn, fell ill with a magical fever, and he was now entrusted with the inn on behalf of them.
　His pale complexion must be the exhaustion of caring for his parents. Ray sits down to a table in the dining room.

"Here you go... but I can only serve this kind of food."

　They served a glass of diluted wine, hard-baked black bread we had yesterday, dried meat and bean soup.
　Ray would normally eat bread after dipping it into the soup and softening it, but he chewed it straight into the bread and forced it with his strong jaw.
　Staring at the stunned young man's face, he swallows bread and asks what he was worried about.

"How are your parents doing? The medicine must have gone around, right?
"Yes. This is also thanks to Ray for staying at this inn."

　That's right. Ray was staying at this inn, and Seith was using his guildmaster's authority to give him a cure for the fever yesterday. It's supposed to be an act of partiality, but Ray is the savior of the city of Barr. "Since it was an inn where such a person could stay, I wanted them to receive proper service." The aim is to make the accommodation available for this purpose, as there will be people coming to the city like there has been a reactionary reactionary reactionary reactionary reactionary response.
　Having said that, the inn's original owners are still in bed. Although the symptoms of the magic fever have already been recovered due to the effects of the special medicine, the doctor determined that it would be better to recover a little more from the exhaustion caused by the magic fever.

"I want you to get this over with as soon as possible. and you'll be able to eat a good meal."
"Yes, I'll tell my father and mother later. However, when it comes to cooking delicious food, it will be difficult to procure ingredients unless the rationing system is finished."
"Well, I suppose so. I'm sorry I didn't call you. Take some food with you to the other sick men."
"Yes, then, excuse me."

　Baked and hardened black bread is bad for digestion, so they send off a soup breakfast and stuff the food in front of them into their mouths. In the first place, the father of a young man who is working as a cook is suffering from a magical fever, so it can only be described as amateur food, so if you chew bread, pour it in soup, and drink wine, it is almost compulsory to clean up the meal.
　And just as I had all my meals in my stomach, there was someone who showed up in the dining room at the right time.
　This is Sasanas, the man Ray met yesterday when he came to the streets of Barr. Raise your hand lightly, judging that the Deer logo has arrived as promised yesterday.

"Yes, I've heard from Mr. Deerlogo. They're going to find out the cause of that terrible disease."
"... this is the dining room. Don't speak dirty."

　With a sigh, the last remaining wine is brought to the mouth and the meal is over.

"Oh, what are you talking about?" You're the only one in the dining room, aren't you? You don't have to worry about it."

　The tone of the conversation was much more casual than when Ray met in front of the main gate yesterday.

"Now that you mention it, the main gate must be closed, but what's going on with the food?"
"Oh, there's no problem with that," When it's time to eat, people throw bread and cheese in bags from the streets. Mr. Deerlogo is amazing, because he kept the food flowing over here despite the fact that he blocked the city and rationed the food."
"I'm almost in charge of acting lord." It's impossible if you're not good."
"I'm sure," Well, it seems that the lord here acted in a variety of problematic ways, and his superiors pressured him to leave it to Mr. Deerlogo. ...well, that's all. If you say you're looking for the cause of the fever, how do you find it?"

　Sasanas asks as he sits in a chair in front of Ray.
　It's hard to predict the cause, because it's something that's never happened before. Sazanas was therefore right to point out that some guidelines were needed to look for them.

"To be honest, I'm confident in my fighting power, but I'm not that good at using my head." Oh, that's right. First of all, there is a possibility that this town will have a special location different from that of other towns. No, isn't there?"
"Oh, the surroundings are usually meadows and fields, and there is no particular difference between them and the rest of the city. As for the location, isn't it more like the town of Gillum where Ray came from than the town of Barr?"
"Certainly,"

　Because it's on the frontier, and there's also a vast forest of demons with Rank A and Rank S monsters nearby. It would be overwhelmingly superior to the city of Barr in terms of peculiar terrain.

"Then it's not a topographical problem?"
"No, I don't think you can throw away all that possibility, but it's small if you think of it as a possibility."

　Rey nods to Sazanas' opinion.
　Even Ray watches the surroundings when he comes to this city on a set. It was easy to understand the lack of speciality in terms of location.
　And if there was a sort of demon forest nearby, Seto would have felt it, let alone Ray, who didn't have the ability to sense the magic."Then, how about the magic fever itself adapted to be active in cold and dry areas?"
"Are you going to go out of your way to such a remote place? If this had gradually spread from the south, it could be, but this time it suddenly went viral in the city of Barr?"
"...so did anyone spread it on purpose?"
"Where? What's the benefit of going all the way to a town in the countryside to spread the epidemic?" ... No, wait. by any chance,"

　Sasanas responds reflexively to Ray. But the next moment I twist my head as if I had something in my head.

"Do you have any idea?"
"It's just one possibility. As I said earlier, the lord of this original town of Barr has a history of causing trouble. Because of this personality, it is natural that some of the aristocrats from other factions around them are not on good terms with each other. If I were to be hated for that relationship..."

　It may be possible. It was a very convincing story for Ray, who had seen several aristocrats in this world. Some aristocrats, such as Dusker, the Earl of Larkes, and Elena, while others, such as Custe, who was infatuated with their pride as nobles, and Ver, who happily betrayed their country. Their faces pass through my mind, and I nod at Sasanas' words without thinking, but I shake my head in despair.

"No, I understand you are being hated, but you cannot intentionally spread the disease. And even if we had the means, how would we satisfy the requirement that the most important form of magic fever itself would only prevail in hot and humid places.
"…I see. If you think so, is it true that you think too much. If such a means were in place, it would have caused enormous damage to the capital of the Empire of Westia, not to the aristocracy of the same country."
"Oh, I'm sure... indeed..."

　the Empire of Bestia Ray stops at the words that came out of Sazanas' mouth.

(With the development of alchemy, of course, technology must be reasonably high. If the diseases of the world were, as I know, caused by pathogens, wouldn't alchemy do something about them?)

　mutter inwardly and consider the possibility of... eventually shake one's head slightly and dismiss the opinion.

(In the first place, if you can do that, you don't have to go out of your way to build it in the rural town of Barr. All you have to do is use it in a royal capital or any big city, as Sazanas said. Then, or an experiment to see if it can actually be used? Even so, it can only be used once. If the information about the city of Barr spreads, we shall be prepared for a cure anywhere.)

"Ray?"
"No, it's nothing. If the Vestian Empire were to set up, would it be unlikely that it would set up in this city? What else is there then?"
"Well, well... all I can think of is the guy I just mentioned."
"Then I'll change my mind a little."
"How do you think?"

　Sasanas looks at Ray with a look of what he's saying, but Ray opens his mouth regardless.

"For example. Is there anything unique about this city?"
"Huh? No, so I told you earlier that there are no special characteristics."
"That's a bad way of listening. Well, for example, what is the town's specialty?"
"Well, what we're talking about is finding the cause of the fever, and we don't have time to prepare souvenirs."
"No. I thought that characteristic was the cause of the epidemic."
「……」

　Sasanas looks surprised by Ray's words.
　Even Sasanas nods slightly, perhaps because he didn't think of the possibility, but eventually he twists his head.

"Even if it's very likely," So why hasn't magic fever spread before? It must have been more than 200 years since the city was built.
"Well, did it take a long time for the magic fever to spread, or something mutant?" ...but as long as you don't have a clue, you have to start where you can. And what is the town's specialty?"
"Well, if it's a specialty of this town that's not found in any other town, it's distilled liquor."
"Distilled liquor.

　After hearing the words, it was Ray's knowledge on TV and the whisky his father had been drinking when he was in Japan.

(Were brandy and vodka spirits, too?) If I remember correctly, I'd like to put it in a wooden barrel and make it... wait. So where do you keep your wooden barrels? If you're making them by yourself, you'll have enough time at home, but if you think of them as specialties, you won't be able to prepare that much space.)

"Sazanas, where do you keep your spirits? You put them in wooden barrels, don't you?"
"Oh? Oh. I'll put it in a wooden barrel and put it in my own storage... Hey, no way."
"You'd better go as long as it's possible. If there is nothing, there is nothing, and one possible cause can be eliminated."
"... I see. I'll go at once, then."

　They nodded and rose from the table and walked out of the dining room.