“The first person to contract the current epidemic fever was Lord Bolaven,” the doctor said.

“This island is so small that you could greet every resident in half a day. So everyone on the island went through the fever once. But now, everyone is healthy. It was no different from an ordinary cold.”

“But the epidemic that has reached the capital can hardly be called just a cold. People are dying,” Diana said.

“That’s what’s strange. It makes me doubt whether it’s even the same disease. The illness spreading to the capital is definitely the same fever that Lord Bolaven is battling. Every night, he hovers on the brink of death because of it.”

“But you’re saying that, except for Lord Dale Bolaven, the islanders recovered quickly. So should we assume the illness they had was something different?”

“I don’t think so,” the doctor shook his head at Ian’s question.

“It appears that the illness we had was the same fever. Everyone, even if only slightly, experienced hallucinations. However…”

The doctor trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

“So, only Lord Bolaven, who isn’t of the Ops tribe, hasn’t recovered from the illness… Is that what you’re saying?”

Diana’s calm voice echoed in the hallway.

“Yes. Other than that, there are no differences between us and Lord Bolaven.”

The doctor bit his lip, as if he couldn’t bring himself to state the difference outright.

No one else dared to speak recklessly either.

If the severity of the fever varied by ethnicity, it would only be adding fuel to the fire.

“Then… why did I recover so quickly?”

Everyone looked at Dale.

“…Huh?”

With a sound somewhere between realization and confusion from the doctor, the group suddenly recalled something they’d forgotten.

“Aren’t you also a descendant of the Ops tribe…?”

“Uh… no, I’m not. Haha. Do I look like one?”

Dale scratched the back of his head awkwardly, and the doctor’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“T-then…!”

“That’s right. If my sibling were an Ops tribesman, I would be too, and that would mean our Bliven family—who are basically the backbone of the kingdom’s navy—are all Ops descendants. But we don’t have your people’s magical abilities; we built everything with our bare hands. We’re far too ordinary to be Ops.”

“Haha… Normally, no one would call someone like Colonel Medi ‘ordinary’…”

Grinelda gave an awkward smile.

“So, the conclusion is…”

Diana stepped forward and looked at each of them in turn.

“All the rumors that this disease is related to the Ops tribe are false, after all.”

She exchanged a glance with Ian, who nodded at her.

“You need to find the real cause,” Ian said.

This time, Diana nodded.

“T-then…! There must be a clue in Kte Village, Your Highness!” the doctor exclaimed.

“Kte Village… You mean the inland port town we departed from?”

“Now that I think about it, I think I caught the illness in Kte Village. I developed a fever as soon as I arrived on the island, so if I caught it anywhere, it was probably that village. After all, anyone coming to Bamun Island has to go through Kte Village,” Dale added to Diana’s question.

“Lord Bolaven also started getting sick after returning from Kte Village. The rumor that the fever started on Bamun Island may be completely wrong!”

At the doctor’s desperate outcry, Ian chuckled as if he finally understood the situation.

“Of course, since Bamun is an island where the Ops tribe lives, it became an easy target for blame.”

“Lord Ian, Colonel Medenta. There’s no reason to delay any further. Let’s set sail immediately.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

With Colonel Medenta’s energetic reply, they headed straight for Kte Village.

Returning to the harbor town of Kte, Diana’s group was shocked.

They hadn’t realized it when they just stopped by the port, but the state of the town—or rather, its dire condition—became clear.

The sky above the town was thick with smoke from several factories, and foul-smelling wastewater flowed directly into the river.

Staring blankly at the polluted stream running right next to the factories, Diana wrinkled her nose at the stench. But it wasn’t just the smell of sewage; there was a familiar scent mixed in with the stench.

Just then, they saw a boy being chased out of a pharmacy.

As the boy picked himself up, his pointed ears became visible. The repeated sight, like déjà vu, made Diana’s anger rise uncontrollably.

Grinelda, who stood beside her, felt the same.

“Don’t stop me, Dale!”

“Grin! I told you not to rush in blindly!”

Dale panicked as Grinelda rolled up her sleeves.

As Diana ran to help the boy, he darted back into the pharmacy, stole something, and dashed away in an instant.

“That thief! You stop right there!”

But the old pharmacist only shouted after him and didn’t seem inclined to chase.

“Sir, would you like me to catch that kid for you?” Colonel Medenta asked the old man.

“C-colonel?!”

Recognizing Medenta, the old man jumped in surprise.

He waved his hands and explained the situation.

It turned out the Ops boy was well known in this town. He lived alone with his younger sister.

“You see that big factory up on the hill? That’s the Lepri Pharmaceutical Company’s factory. There’s a shack right next to it, about to collapse. That’s where those kids live. I can’t guarantee they’ll survive after this winter.”

The old man’s voice was full of pity.

“But those kids refuse help from the townsfolk. I act like a grumpy old man just for their sake. If I give them things for free, they won’t accept it.”

“It’s not because they’re Ops that people keep their distance?”

Ian’s cold question made the old man glare at him.

“You don’t know anything. These days, you can’t tell who’s Ops just by looking. I’m a proud southerner. The south is full of Ops descendants—why would I spit on my own face?”

Diana, looking up at the factory on the hill, asked the old man,

“What are those children’s names?”

The old man, who had immediately recognized the colonel, rubbed his eyes at the tone that sounded like a royal would use.

“If you’re a young lady traveling with the colonel… Y-your Highness?!”

“It’s nice to meet you. Forgive me for doubting you as heartless. It seems the people of Bamun Island and the south are warm-hearted, looking out for each other.”

Diana smiled as she spoke.

“Y-your Highness, what brings you here…? This place must be dangerous, with the epidemic going around…”

“When our people are in danger, the royal family must step forward. So, what are the names of those children?”

The boy’s name was Theo. His younger sister’s name was Riri.

Diana’s group climbed the hill toward the shack where Theo and Riri lived.

“You can see the whole town from up here,” Diana remarked as they neared the top.

“Who are you people? If you come any closer, I’ll call the guards!”

It was the voice of the Ops boy from earlier, Theo. He looked to be about ten or so, maybe a little older if being generous.

His body showed signs of malnutrition, and his eyes were hollow, as if he hadn’t slept well.

“Are you caring for your little sister by yourself?” Diana asked gently, which only made Theo more wary.

“How do you know about my sister?”

“How dare you speak to her like that!” the colonel scolded.

“It’s fine, Colonel Medenta.”

“M-Medenta… Colonel? You’re…?”

Theo seemed to recognize Colonel Medenta.

Of course, in the south, anyone who didn’t know Medenta Bliven was either a spy or an outsider.

“Yes, I’m Medenta. You can even call me Medi if you like. It’s my favorite nickname—the sound is cute.”

“….”

Theo looked at her suspiciously, as if doubting she was really a colonel.

“Will you take us to your home? We’re here to help the sick,” Diana said.

“We don’t need help! No one can touch my sister!”

“What a troublesome brat,” Ian muttered, walking up and knocking Theo out with a chop to the back of the neck.

“What are you doing?!” Diana exclaimed in shock.

“With kids like this, kindness like yours doesn’t work, Your Highness.”

“How do you know? It might have worked!”

“No, it wouldn’t. I was the same way.”

Ian slung the unconscious boy over his shoulder and headed for the shack.

“It’s about to collapse,” Ian commented, tapping the wall.

“Hey, don’t touch it! It really might fall apart,” Dale said in alarm.

“Please check on this child quickly,” Diana said to the army doctor who had followed her.

“The symptoms are severe. Your Highness, you should step outside the shack, or you might catch the illness.”

“No, that’s not necessary,” Diana replied firmly, refusing the doctor’s warning.

“I won’t catch this disease.”

Everyone looked at her in confusion. Ian also quietly watched Diana.

But Diana could feel it.

It was a feeling she hadn’t had in a long time. She had started to sense it again as soon as she looked up at the hill. Now, standing at the top, she could feel it very clearly.

The emotions of her mother that had disappeared for a while, and her mother’s… obsession.

There was something on this hill—or perhaps in these children—that her mother was reacting so strongly to.

“With such a strong obsession… Even if I want to believe it’s a blessing, doesn’t it feel more like a curse, Mother…?” Diana murmured.

“All of you should step outside. If you catch the illness, it will be serious.”

But no one left.

“You’re all so stubborn.”

“You’re one to talk, Your Highness. If we get sick, we’ll just get better,” the colonel replied cheerfully, making Diana smile in spite of herself.

Just then, Theo woke up.

“Riri!”

He rushed to his sister, who was struggling to breathe among strangers.

“Get away from my sister!”

Looking straight into Theo’s eyes, Diana thought there was something pitiful about him.

Somehow, he reminded her of Louis when he was young.

Having lost his parents, with only his little sister left by his side, he had to protect her.

That was why Louis, who could have embraced a much bigger world, lived with nothing but hatred in his heart.