In another month, the Imperial Blue Army lost half of its positions in the Great Forest of Goosenfall.
　However, the Blue Army did not sit back and let this happen. Not wanting to lose their bridgehead to the forest, they expanded their remaining positions. In addition, they sent in the troops that had been waiting outside the forest to fortify their defenses.
　At the same time, the Blue Army decided to reinforce the forces attacking the Great Forest. The Blue Army was now in a position to hold out until reinforcements arrived, while the allied forces of demons and elves temporarily halted their offensive, and the war situation fell into a stalemate.

　However, on the other side of the battle, another attack had begun before they knew it.

　The series of events began with the sudden purchase of a certain type of medicinal material.

　The medicinal herb, "fukuretsuyusa," is a grass with lovely red and white flowers that grows by storing juice in its balloon-like nodes. The herb is harvested in the fall, and at that time, only the juice (also known as "lingmin essence" in the Empire, named after the place where it is produced) is extracted, stored in barrels, and then used for a year.
　This is used in recipes for blending potions. All of these are primarily used to treat illness.
　In the Caenis Empire, where the Temple forces are less active, the middle class and above have more opportunities to consume potions to cure illnesses than in other great nations. The fukuretsuyusa harvested in the fall can be used to make potions, which are in high demand in the winter.

　This winter, there was an epidemic of poor quality disease throughout the empire, and even the market stock of raw Lin Ming was lower than usual.
　This year's winter saw an epidemic of poor quality diseases throughout the empire, and the market stock of Lin Ming was even lower than usual.

　The buyers were not specific merchants or merchant associations, but five merchant associations from two countries on the eastern coast of the continent, close to the borders of the Caenis Empire.
　All of them were rumored to be willing to engage in somewhat risky business for money, and the Empire had noticed that they seemed to have smuggling routes to the areas controlled by the Empire.
　However, what they did at this time was a legitimate ...... purchase that they were willing to pay a little more for, and the raw Lin Ming liquid that was purchased was transported to the canal and then to the south via the coastal route.

　At about the same time, a plague broke out in the Lugarut Kingdom, south of the Great Forest of Goosenfall.
　At the same time, rumors began to circulate that a plague was spreading in the kingdom of Lugarut.
　Not only the ingredients for potions, but also existing potions and non-magical potions became scarce and their prices began to rise.
　This spread to the Duchy of Cadenis, which was the northern neighbor of Lugarut and the base of the invasion force of the Great Forest of Goosenfall. Merchants from Lugarut bought the medicine. There were also signs that domestic merchants were taking advantage of the shortage to raise prices and cut back on sales.
　Normally, the Empire would not allow commerce between an occupied territory (Cadenis) and a hostile country (Lugarut), but the three countries surrounding the Great Forest of Goosenfall had long been a de facto community. In many ways, there are "pipes" that the Imperial Blue Army has yet to fully grasp and control.

　The Imperial Blue Army, which has many spies infiltrating Lugarut, immediately looked into the rumors of a plague.
　The Imperial Blue Army, with its many spies in Lugarut, immediately looked into the rumors of the plague, since there was no indication that the plague had actually spread, despite the rumors.

　The situation was either a panic caused by a hoax, or an economic conspiracy of mountaineer merchants looking to make a profit.
　The imperial authorities found out that the purchased raw Lin Ming was going to the Kingdom of Lugarut.
　The Imperial Blue Army discovered that the source of the plague rumors were several lords and merchants of the Kingdom of Lugarut, and that they may have been in contact with the demons who claimed to be from the exiled nation of Ciel-Teira.

　It was right around that time.
　That's when the plague really started to spread in Cadenis Principality.

　* *

　There's a strange abundance of rats.
　It must have been the cats of the Duchy of Cadenis who first noticed it.

　An epidemic of unknown origin first attacked the lowest class of people in the Principality of Cadenis.
　Like the arrows of sniping archers, they attacked those who could not afford hygiene, poor nutrition, low resistance, money to buy medicines, money to see doctors, and money to donate to temples to cling to the miracles of God.
　A beggar tormented by a high fever still walks the streets to earn his daily bread, and finally dies under a bridge covered in vomit. Rats and crows devoured the carcasses, their limbs blackened and rotting.

　Eventually, the number of people falling ill began to increase, regardless of social class, and medicines, which were in short supply, ran out, leaving the clergy busy with prayers to ward off the disease.
　By the time the Governor-General of the Caenis Empire recognized the need for countermeasures, the infection had already begun to spread throughout the country.
　Unfortunately, the transition to occupation was still in progress, and the administration was in disarray and not in a position to take effective measures.

　Some of the drugs bought by Lugarut came back at more than double the price at which they were bought.
　Even then, the numbers were limited and insufficient. Stockpiling for the imperial bureaucracy and the Blue Army soldiers is the priority, not for the common people.
　There was even untruthful information that someone was selling the medicine through black channels on the condition that they would not cooperate with the Imperial Blue Army.
　The Principality of Cadenis was beginning to be engulfed in a black vortex of confusion.

　The Duchy of Cadenis was beginning to be engulfed in black chaos.

　The supply troops that had delivered the military supplies to the Great Forest invasion troops were heading north, loading up the unloaded space with soldiers who had obtained leave.

Look at this.

　A soldier, sitting on a suitable cushion in the rocking wagon, reading a newspaper with his luggage sitting on the back, shows the sensational headline to his fellow soldiers.
　Surrounded by their personal belongings and equipment, the soldiers who had been enjoying their leisure time gather around. They were relaxed because they were in the process of being relieved of their duties and returning to the rear.

"'Signs of an epidemic in Cadenis'?
Is this the local paper?
They were at the camp this morning selling them.

　The Empire of Caenis has annexed many surrounding countries, but even when a country is part of the Empire, it is difficult to completely remove divisions from private behavior.
　It was not uncommon for a newspaper that once covered a single small country to be incorporated into the empire, but receive government permission to become a local newspaper, specializing in local and regional events (i.e., with content that was much the same as before).
　The Kamurkhaan Daily that he was holding was a newspaper published in the former Kamurkhaan region, now part of the Empire, north of the Principality of Cadenis.

　In the paper, the symptoms of the disease were described with frightening illustrations, and there were also comments from experts who suspected the involvement of the "Rose Princess of Hell" who appeared in the Great Forest of Goosenfall, as well as the shortage of medicine due to the increase in the number of infected people in the Principality of Cadenis. ...... It is not wrong to suspect that demons and monsters are involved in the epidemic (although it is usually a false accusation).

It's the kind of disease that can easily kill people, right?
"Oh, ......, that was a close one. It's a good time for a vacation, really.
I don't know. By the time we get back from vacation, it's gonna be even worse.
Then I'll ask to be reassigned. Leave the front lines to the second-class subjects.
No doubt.

　The soldiers laughed as if they despised something.
　They were all born and raised in the Empire of Caenis, but the people of the newly conquered and incorporated nations were treated as lower class until they obtained their vassalage through hard work. This was also the case for conscripts into the army.
　It was the role of the "second class subjects" to do the dangerous work on the front lines.
　If the epidemic spreads further in the future, there will be more 'second class subjects' in the troops of the Great Forest.

There's enough medicine for all of us. Anyway.
But we don't know what will happen if it goes on too long.


"It's not good enough for the army to be safe. If the plague spreads beneath their feet, they won't be able to move people even if you throw money at them.
"Whoa. You're a smart guy, you know that?
"Well, if they send medicine from home, they can cleanse a small country like Cadenis.

　"Well, if they send medicine from home, they can cleanse a small country like Cadenis.
　In general, they are other people.
　They were optimistic that they were in a safe zone and would be protected even if something happened to them.
　This assumption was probably correct, but at least they were not strangers.

　There was a glowing eye in the dim light of the corner of the carriage.
　A vest-wearing, cap-wearing rat sat between the luggage in a human-like pose with his arms folded, listening closely to the people.