Someone Had to Do Something

In the hall.

The second sat beside Ifrit, one hand gently stroking the girl's forehead while a tame flame danced at the fingertips of the other.

She was not playing with it, but recalling the sensation of using her skill in the dungeon earlier.

When she revived the King Snow Ape, nearly half the energy in her body had been drained away in an instant...

The consumption was still within acceptable limits. After all, once revived, it could move on its own and did not require her to continuously expend energy to control it.

But...

The dungeon's monsters could accept her commands, so... what about people with complete self-awareness?

The second's fingertips trembled slightly, and the flame flickered with them.

Could the dead be revived?

The thought sent a chill through her.

To toy with life and death was one of the world's greatest taboos.

Did she truly have the ability to bear that price?

"Mm..."

Just then, a faint movement against her hand interrupted the second's tangled thoughts.

She turned and met a pair of uneasy amber eyes.

Ifrit was awake, looking at her timidly.

The second forced a gentle smile onto her face and lowered her voice to the softest whisper.

"You're awake? How do you feel? Are you hungry? The food will be ready soon."

At the same time, she discreetly urged the other three along.

She carefully helped Ifrit sit up, but the girl looked somewhat at a loss.

During her time at Rhine Lab, no one but Silence had ever treated her with such gentleness.

And even Silence, when they had first met, had carried the caution inherent to a researcher.

Seeing how tense Ifrit was, the second softened her voice further.

"What is it? Does anything still hurt? Or are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

"N-no..."

Ifrit answered haltingly, habitually lowering her head to avoid that overly concerned gaze.

When faced with researchers who saw her as an experiment and a monster, Ifrit could raise every thorn on her body and protect herself with roars and curses.

But faced with such pure kindness, she was like a nocturnal creature suddenly exposed to sunlight—at a complete loss, even a little panicked.

Seeing her almost curl into a ball, the second was at a loss as well.

Was my voice too cutesy? It worked well when I took care of children before...

An awkward silence fell between them, and the atmosphere froze. Then—

"Hahaha, meat soup is here~"

The fourth's lively voice burst in, instantly breaking the awkward mood between them.

Ifrit looked over at the sound. When she saw the familiar tall figure behind the fourth, her eyes immediately lit up.

"Big mon—"

She instinctively wanted to call him the name she had given him in her heart, but the words stopped abruptly at her lips.

She herself... really hated being called a "monster."

Then calling someone else a "big monster" had to be bad too.

With that thought, Ifrit swallowed the name back down. She raised her head and tried hard to remain polite as she asked,

"My name is Ifrit. May I ask... what are your names?"

The third had just entered the hall. Hearing this, he was about to give his usual name when the second's urgent voice rang out in his mind.

[Second: Fourth! Does this land have any kind of power that can curse or kill people just by knowing their names?]

[Fourth: Seriously? Second, you're being way too cautious!]

[Second: Stop talking nonsense! Is there or isn't there?!]

[Fourth: Uh... I don't really know, but the Banshee clan among the Sarkaz has curse-speech abilities. Maybe... there really are related spells?]

[Second: ...In that case, to be safe, let's come up with new names to deal with this.]

[Third: Do we have to lie... to a child too?]

[Second: I!... Hah... Th-this is just a necessary safety measure!]

[Boss: Enough. We'll do as the second says. It's for everyone's safety, after all.]

[Fourth: Fine, fine. Then I'll just use this body's name, "Vane"? It's pretty cool anyway!]

[Okay] x3

Ifrit saw the people before her suddenly fall silent as a group. Thinking she had asked something she should not have, she lowered her head again.

Just then, the fourth set the soup pot aside.

He darted in front of Ifrit in a single stride, a completely carefree smile spreading across his face as he cheerfully introduced himself.

"My name's Vane! As for my race, I'm a Blood Demon~"

"Blood Demon?"

Some infamous rumors about that race flashed through Ifrit's mind, and her body instinctively recoiled for a moment.

But she immediately realized—

Wasn't she also a feared "Flame Demon"?

They had not rejected her. How could she be afraid of them just because of rumors?

She suppressed that instinctive fear and cautiously extended her hand.

"H-hello."

Vane chuckled and took her little hand, giving it a shake with unexpected gentleness.

"I'm Vera." The second's gentle voice came from beside her. She extended a hand as well, wearing a reassuring smile.

Ifrit extended her other hand and shook hers.

"I'm Gorth..."

A deep, steady voice sounded as the third gave his name too.

Seeing that both of Ifrit's hands were occupied, he simply nodded slightly.

Ifrit looked at her two clasped hands, somewhat at a loss. Gorth immediately waved his hand.

"It's fine... I don't mind..." (dejected)

The group fell silent for a moment.

Vane could not help complaining in the group chat.

[You sound like you totally mind!]

Finally, Ifrit turned her gaze toward the last person present.

[Incomprehensible Flame Demon roar]

Ifrit: "???"

Vane hurriedly explained, "Ahaha, that's our boss, Gregor! Little fire dragon, you can call him Boss like we do!"

Little fire dragon?

Ifrit was a little puzzled by the sudden nickname, but she obediently nodded anyway. Looking at Gregor, she said earnestly,

"Um... thank you, Boss."

After saying that, she turned to the others, her eyes full of sincerity.

"And thank you too... for saving me."

Vera's expression softened, but before she could offer any comforting words, someone restless beside her interrupted.

"Oh, no need to be so polite!" Vane grinned as he leaned closer.

"The few of us just love cute little girls like you! If you want to repay us, then when you grow up—Agh! Hot, hot, hot, hot!!!"

A huge lava hand seized Vane's entire head, stuffing all his nonsensical words back down his throat.

Without expression, Gregor dragged away Vane, who was squealing like a pig being slaughtered, heading straight toward the nursery.

"Wait! Boss, I was wrong! I was just joking! Spare me—!" Vane's pleas gradually faded into the distance.

Ifrit froze at the sudden turn of events and instinctively looked toward where they had gone.

But a hand gently cupped her cheek and firmly turned her head back.

Ifrit met Vera's smiling eyes. Her smile was still gentle, but for some reason, it sent an inexplicable chill up Ifrit's back.

"Don't look over there, Ifrit~"

She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice, making Ifrit draw back her neck.

"Remember to stay farther away from that guy in the future, okay? If you stay around garbage for too long... you'll start to stink too."

Ifrit swallowed and obediently nodded.

"O-okay."

She was practically a combination of Saria and Silence...

Seeing that Ifrit was so sensible, Vera nodded in satisfaction and beckoned Gorth, who had been quietly waiting nearby.

"Third, feed her," Vera said, handing the meat soup to Gorth.

"I'll go find them to 'take care of something.'"

Gorth silently accepted the bowl and mourned for the fourth for three seconds.

Holding the bowl, his massive body slowly crouched down before Ifrit.

In that posture, his ferocious deer skull filled Ifrit's entire field of vision.

Then, under Ifrit's somewhat nervous gaze, Gorth used movements utterly at odds with his size to scoop up some soup and carefully blow on it.

"Ah~"

Ifrit looked at the spoon being held to her lips and quietly tried to negotiate.

"I-I can do it myself..."

Gorth said nothing. He simply maintained the pose, holding out the spoon, and made that sound again.

"Ah~"

Ifrit: "..."

Meanwhile, in the nursery.

[Did you really have to say that in front of her? That's not how you go looking to die...]

Gregor helplessly released his grip, taking a few scorched strands of hair with him.

Vane rubbed his still-warm scalp, but there was not a trace of regret on his face.

"Hehe, it just slipped out."

"Good thing Boss pulled me out in time, or the second would have gone after me."

[Enough fooling around.] The boss shook his head helplessly.

[Give a token scream or two and put on a show, so she doesn't think we're being too perfunctory.]

"Okay! Putting on an act is what I'm best at!"

"Putting on what act?"

Vane's body stiffened. His neck turned bit by bit like a rusted gear.

Vera had somehow appeared behind them. She was clearly smiling, yet it made every hair on their bodies stand on end.

His survival instincts drove Vane to instantly plaster a brilliant smile on his face as he tried to muddle through.

"Of course... of course we're putting on the image of mature, dependable adults in front of that child!"

As he spoke, he nodded hard, trying to make himself sound more convincing.

"I was asking Boss how to be as calm and reliable as he is. From now on, I'll never say nonsense in front of children again! Right, Boss!?"

He desperately shot the boss meaningful looks.

Gregor: [...]

Seeing Vane's cowardly appearance, Vera waved a hand. The frightening smile on her face faded away.

"Forget it. It's not like your rotten mouth has only been a problem for a day or two."

She rubbed her brow, seeming to have a headache, but quickly turned serious.

"I came to find you because I have something important to ask."

Vane sighed in relief, straightened up, and put on an attentive expression.

"Go ahead. I'll tell you everything I know!"

"You mentioned earlier that the child is an experiment." Vera's gaze sharpened.

"What kind of experiment, exactly? What did Rhine Lab do to her?"

Vane's expression grew more serious too, and he nodded.

"Mm... I told you that she's an Infected, right?"

"Mm." Vera confirmed.

"Officially, Ifrit is a test subject in Rhine Lab's research into 'Oripathy treatment technology,' but in reality..." Vane paused, lowering his voice.

"She is the vessel for a revival plan involving an ancient existence known as the 'Flame Demon.' They are trying to awaken—or rather, create—a controllable Flame Demon inside her."

"So that means..."

"Yeah." Vane confirmed her guess.

"Besides enduring the torment of Oripathy, a highly unstable Flame Demon fragment was forcibly stuffed into her body."

Hearing this, Gregor's lava body let out a low rumble.

[Can we just destroy that fragment?]

"...That would be difficult. That thing has basically become symbiotic with Ifrit. Forcibly removing it would very likely kill her outright."

"Fortunately, under normal circumstances, Ifrit could suppress the Flame Demon fragment. Unless she suffered an extreme shock, the Flame Demon's power would not easily go berserk."

The Boss nodded. [It's all right. I'll stay by this child's side.]

[If that fragment dares show itself once, I'll crush it once, until we find a way to solve this completely.]

Vera folded her arms and pondered for a moment before taking over. "Then the next issue is another problem."

Everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere grew somewhat heavy. They all understood what Vera meant.

[Oripathy...] There was a faint, almost imperceptible note of hope in the Boss's voice.

[Is there really no way to treat it?]

Vane sighed and shook his head.

"Based on what I know from the story... there currently isn't any method that can completely cure Oripathy. Existing medical treatments can only suppress the progression of the lesions and alleviate the symptoms at most."

Vera frowned tightly. "Not even a powerful healing potion like the red bottle? It can instantly heal even such severe injuries."

Vane rejected the idea again. "Most likely not. The red bottle's effects lean more toward repair and regeneration. It can rapidly close wounds and restore stamina."

"But it likely can't reverse the physical changes brought about by Oripathy. Strictly speaking, Oripathy isn't a disease..."

He gathered his thoughts, trying to explain it in a more understandable way.

"It's more like a... forced 'evolution catalyst,' or rather, a deep infection and transformation of living beings by Originium."

"In a sense, it does indeed promote the host's evolution, such as awakening Originium Arts."

"But the process of that evolution is far too brutal. The host's fragile mortal body simply cannot withstand such drastic changes."

"Powerful races can endure longer with their robust bodies, while weaker races soon suffer organ failure, bodily crystallization, and even death. That's why it's so deadly."

Vera fell silent for a moment, then slowly voiced the heart of that metaphor.

"...So that's why you called it 'cancer from another world' before."

Gregor turned away in silence, and the other two followed his gaze. Everyone's eyes passed through the open doors and settled on a corner of the hall.

There, Gorth—the Third—was spoon-feeding meat broth to Ifrit, while the girl took small sips.

Looking at that peaceful scene, and thinking of how the child had to bear the threat of the Flame Demon fragment within her while also carrying the heavy shackles of the incurable disease known as Oripathy...

Even the Boss's breathing grew heavier.

A deep voice rang out through the mental link, carrying an unquestionable resolve.

[Where is the best doctor on this land for treating Oripathy...?]

Vane's expression also turned serious.

"That depends on the exact point in time. If it's after Rhodes Island was established, then the answer is undoubtedly Rhodes Island."

"Rhodes Island is a landship without a fixed residence, though it has branches stationed in various places. But..."

Vane changed the subject.

"If it's before that..."

His gaze finally settled on the Second, and there was a trace of uncertainty and gravity in his tone.

"Then the best doctors are undoubtedly at Babel Tower..."

The Second raised a brow. "From the look on your face, this has something to do with me? Where is Babel Tower?"

Vane paused before uttering a place name with extraordinary significance to the Sarkaz.

"Kazdel."

Kazdel.

The homeland of the Sarkaz, now a scarred land ravaged by war and division, shrouded beneath the shadow of the Demon King.

At the same time, it was also very likely where Vera was right now.

[Sigh...]

Gregor sighed silently, then said,

[Let's think this through carefully. First, we...]

"I'll go."

[What?] / "What?"

Gregor and Vane both turned to look at Vera. Vera spoke again, her voice quiet... yet deafening.

"I'll go."

"..."

[Next stop: Kazdel.]