Illness

Erza watched Cain pack his luggage and asked, "Do you really not need me to go with you?"

"No. It's not some particularly troublesome job." Seeing that he was nearly done packing, Cain added,

"I'll probably be back in three or four days. Don't worry."

Since Cain had put it that way, Erza did not insist. "Then be careful on the road."

"Mm, I'm off then. Bye."

After saying goodbye to Erza, Cain slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the station.

Sitting aboard the Magic Train, Cain silently pondered how to make storage equipment.

Cain had previously thought that mastering a Spatial Array would be enough, but he later realized he had been thinking too simply.

After dismantling Erza's Requip Magic, he had obtained a Spatial Array and proceeded according to his own ideas.

He added a Stabilization Array and a Mental Link Array in the middle, then placed a circular array around the outer edge.

According to his design, the Stabilization Array could anchor the space that had been opened up, preventing it from collapsing easily.

The Mental Link Array would allow items to be stored and retrieved directly through mental power.

He had chosen a circular shape because a sphere had the greatest volume.

Yet everything he made ultimately ended in failure, and the objects bearing the arrays all collapsed.

Cain thought ordinary materials could not support a Spatial Array, so he later used Sea Silver as the base. Although the Sea Silver was not damaged this time,

it was still impossible to form an independent space within it.

Why was that? Cain could not make sense of it no matter how much he thought about it.

He began recalling the novels he had read in his previous life, hoping to find some inspiration.

Cain suddenly remembered that some novels from his previous life had mentioned needing specific ores to forge spatial rings.

"Could the magic world work the same way?"

Cain was not certain, but he wanted to try. There was no reason for this world to have spatial magic but no storage equipment.

"Now arriving at Mudorud." *3

The station announcement brought Cain back to his senses, and he began gathering his luggage to get off.

Walking through the desolate streets, Cain found it somewhat strange.

Before coming here, he had learned that Mudorud was a highly developed commercial city.

Even if it was not packed with people, there should not have been so few people on the streets.

Only a handful of shops were still open, while all the others displayed signs reading "Closed."

Cain found a restaurant that was still open and ordered beef pasta with braised bones. While waiting for his food, he asked the owner,

"Boss, I remember Mudorud being a lively commercial city. How did it end up like this?"

The restaurant owner sighed. "Cough, cough. It used to be, but lately, for some reason, everyone has fallen ill.

Even doctors couldn't cure it. Later, we hired a healing Mage, and at first the illness could still be kept under control.

But less than a day later, it broke out again, and it was even worse than before. There probably aren't many people left in all of Mudorud who haven't gotten sick."

The restaurant owner's words made Cain realize how serious the situation was. This was apparently no ordinary illness, but something like an ancient plague.

Whatever else it was, an illness capable of infecting all of Mudorud undeniably possessed extremely strong contagiousness.

After quickly finishing dinner, Cain got up and headed for the Ferguson Viscount Estate.

After explaining that he was a Mage from Fairy Tail, Cain was led into the viscount estate by a servant.

After waiting for a while, someone who looked like a butler came before Cain and said apologetically,

When you encounter ads asking, "Are you a real person?", there is no need to pay attention to them. Simply close them. Do not scan any codes or send text messages!

"Mr. Cain, thank you for coming. My master is bedridden with illness and cannot rise to welcome you. Please forgive her."

The butler's attitude made Cain somewhat uncomfortable for a moment. After all, whether in his previous life or this one, he had never received any etiquette training.

Still, Cain understood basic courtesy. "Mr. Butler, you are too polite. Please take me to see the Viscount's condition first."

"You may simply call me Ruben. Please follow me."

Ruben gave a slight bow, then led Cain toward the Viscount's quarters.

Following behind Ruben, Cain discreetly examined the layout and decorations of the viscount estate.

The entire estate had a typical manor design and covered a vast area. Cain estimated it to be around five thousand square meters, though there did not seem to be many people in the manor. He had barely seen anyone along the way.

The corridor was lavishly decorated. Just on the way here, he had already seen quite a few valuable paintings.

Not to mention anything else, the carpet beneath his feet alone was probably worth a small fortune.

Cain could not help muttering inwardly, Compared to this, my villa is practically a doghouse. Still, my own villa is more comfortable to live in.

Ruben, walking ahead, suddenly spoke. "Mr. Cain, we're here."

He then gently knocked on the door. "Master, Mr. Cain from Fairy Tail has arrived."

After waiting for a while, an extremely weak voice finally came from inside the room. "Come in."

The voice startled Cain. Not because it sounded pleasant, but because it sounded terrible.

It was as sharp and grating as fingernails scraping across glass, yet also as rough as gravel grinding against iron.

The moment he entered the room, a sewer-like stench assaulted his nose, making Cain feel dizzy for a moment.

Yet Ruben at his side seemed not to smell it at all, and his expression did not change in the slightest.

Cain soon arrived at the bedside and saw the employer for this commission, Livina Ferguson.

Livina Ferguson, her head full of white hair, lay weakly in bed. Her clouded eyes looked toward Cain in the distance, and the corners of her mouth twitched as she tried to force a warm smile.

Unfortunately, she did not succeed.

"Hello, Mage... from... Fairy Tail."

That short sentence took Livina roughly one or two minutes to finish.

Cain gave a slight bow. "Hello, Viscount Livina. Let me examine your body first."

Livina nodded almost imperceptibly.

Cain raised his right hand and held it a fist's distance from Livina's head.

Then streaks of golden light rippled around Livina's body like waves.

This was not magic, but a small technique that used the feedback from magic power circulating through the body to detect internal problems.

It was somewhat similar to a bat's ultrasonic detection.

As the golden light circulated through her body, Livina's tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed, and she unknowingly fell asleep.

Watching Livina slowly fall asleep, Ruben was deeply shocked. Ever since she had fallen ill, Livina had only been able to sleep with the aid of medicine.

Yet even with medicine, her face had never worn such a peaceful expression. In the middle of the night, she would occasionally wake from the pain.

Cain slowly withdrew his right hand. As he did so, the golden light around Livina began to fade.

The instant the golden light disappeared, Livina's brow began to furrow again. Soon, the torment of her illness jolted her awake from her sleep.

Ruben said anxiously, "Mr. Cain, could you use that magic again so that the Viscount may get a good night's sleep?"

Livina also looked at Cain with hope in her eyes.

Cain nodded. "I can, but first I need to explain the Viscount's condition."

"Many unknown spores have taken over the Viscount's internal organs, causing her weakness, fever, and other symptoms. I would like to know when this condition first appeared and whether she came into contact with anything during that time."

Cain had intended to ask for more details, but seeing the pained expression on Livina's face, he decided to let her get a good night's sleep first.