Tenkomori: The Homecoming Club Conquers Another World

As usual, Ose ran and tried to get an appointment with Pavel, but he said he was away on a house call. I asked for permission from my landlord to wait inside.

In the meantime, I asked Ose to make sure that no one was listening in, and then I told them that I was an "Appraisal" holder and that Valerie was suffering from a disease called Ash Vomiting Disease. They were astonished at the mention of "Appraisal", and they didn't know about Ash Vomiting Disease.

As the sun was setting, Pavel came home.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Alter-sama."

"I'm sorry I barged in without making an appointment."

I've never been sick, so Pavel and I don't have much in common.

And there are six of us. He must have thought it was a serious matter. He seemed to have spared no effort in grooming himself, and several strands of his usually neatly trimmed gray hair hung down over his deep wrinkles.

"So, what can I do for you today?"

"They are a C-rank party called "Battle Axe of Destruction". Do you know that I went on an expedition? They were my escort."

They're called "Battle Axe of Destruction". Pavel gave a tribute to it and nodded to urge him.

"Valerie has been sick since yesterday. The symptoms are mild, but we are planning to invite her to the mansion soon to celebrate her return. So I asked the priestess of Mirtiva to treat her as soon as possible."

"But it seems that she's still sick."

"That's Pavel. Even Keseles, who uses medium-grade healing magic, could not cure it. On the contrary, it's unclear what the illness is."

"I'll take it from here."

I nodded, and Roland began to speak, "I have an idea of what the disease is.

It was a rough setup, but Roland structured it well. He also mentioned the names of Eras Rhino and Tremble Cube, as the disease was not known in the vicinity of Reedwald.

After listening to all of this, Pavel's wrinkles deepened and he fell into thought.

Not long after, he looked up and opened his mouth, looking at Valerie.

"I've been treating people as a doctor for a long time, but I've never heard of Ash Vomiting Disease. Also, if even Keseles-dono's magic can't cure it, then it's not just a disease."

I had expected this, but when he told me directly, I felt a strong disappointment.

After all, Pavel didn't know either. Now there was no hope of a quick cure. It was no longer a situation that could be hidden. It would be too late for us to take our time.

I told him the time limit of "half a month" that Roland had forgotten to mention. It was so short that Valerie and the others were more at a loss for words than Pavel. I wanted to at least prepare her, but I didn't want to cause her any unnecessary worry. I hope you can forgive me.

I tried to avoid looking at "Battle Axe of Destruction" as much as possible and asked Pavel.

"If Roland's intuition is right, it could be fatal. Is there a cure?"

"It's too early to speculate on whether it is ash vomiting disease or monster affected one. First of all, let's try to regain some of her lost vitality and maintain the current situation. In the meantime, I will contact the doctors in the area and gather information."

"For recovering vitality, but do you use something like a healing potion?"

"No, it's a potion that restores physical fatigue."

It's like a nutritional supplement. That's a relief. If it was caused by Tremble Cube spore, the healing potion could even activate it.

"I'll take care of it. Should we send Valerie back to the inn?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to invite you to stay here. Would you like to stay here, Valerie?"

"If it's not too much trouble."

"No problem. I am a doctor and this is a hospital."

Pavel smiled softly at Valerie.

"Well, Keseles has suggested that we try an alchemist, what do you think, Pavel?"

"I think it's a good idea.  I'll inquire with the alchemists I know here, and the commercial guilds might have some information."

"Commercial guilds. All right, I'll try to gather information there as well."

By the time we reached an agreement, the sun had already set.

Leaving Valerie behind, "Battle Axe of Destruction" headed for the adventurer's guild. They would spend the rest of the night in the guild's library and start gathering information tomorrow. Markant will continue to work in the library, Danil will be in charge of the commercial guilds and general stores, and Ose will ask the alchemists. I'm thinking of helping Markant, but I needed my father's permission to do so.

I said goodbye to "Battle Axe of Destruction" and hopped on the carriage to head home.

◇◇◇◇

"So you think the Tremble Cube brought on some kind of disease?"

After dinner, I asked my father if we could talk, and for some reason, the whole family gathered in the living room. I was acting differently than usual and they were curious. According to Roland, I was as tense as if I were facing a demon.

After listening to the story, my father just had a difficult expression on his face.

"If that's true, then the monster in question is troublesome to a great extent. It's a wonder it hasn't been known about before."

"It seems that there have been very few cases of it being discovered, so perhaps it was a fairly rare monster."

I was able to finish it off with only Roland's injury, but it's doubtful that I could have won without the two of us, the party's coordination, and me blasting magic at it. If it weren't for Roland in particular, Markant alone would have had to hold it off, reducing its firepower and forcing a longer battle. If I had encountered it with only "Battle Axe of Destruction". It's over for me. It was an opponent I would never want to fight again.

"If possible, can you give me permission to visit the town tomorrow, or even for a while?"

"I'd be happy, but I don't think so. Leave the healing to Pavel and the information gathering to the adventurers. These are the people who fought with us, even if it was only for a week. I understand your concern. But there's not much you can do about it. Don't interfere with them."

My request was dismissed without a second thought.

My father is right. No matter how old my mental age is, I don't have much knowledge or experience in this world. If I'm not good, I'm no better than a town kid. I didn't know about the existence of Keseles, the Priestess of Mirtiva, and it was Roland, Pavel, and the others who showed me what to do. All I did was Appraise and identify the disease. It was important, but it was also the only thing I could do. There were already experts and skilled adventurers gathering information. Even if I get permission, all I can do is hunker down in the guild's library. I don't think I can be of much help.

Still, I couldn't help but do something. If Valerie lost her life like this, I wouldn't be able to face Markant and the others. Even though it was the result of a request, I was the one who brought her into contact with the Tremble Cube. I want to help, even if it's only a small amount.

As I was about to open my mouth, an unexpected person spoke up before I could.

I'm with Alter."

Everyone's eyes focused on my brother, who had been silently listening to the conversation.

He continued in the same tone as usual.

"If it's a trivial matter as father said, it should be left to Pavel and the others. Alter has no place in this. However, this is a disease. I think this is a matter for the lord."

"Do you think it will spread?"

"It is an unknown disease, so I cannot judge, but if there is even the slightest chance of it spreading, then the lord should take action. It's too late to do anything about it, and it's not good for the people to think that you knew about it and didn't do anything about it. However, if your father or I were to move, it would cause unnecessary anxiety. That's why Alter should do that."

"He's good, but he's still eight years old. How many people would be convinced to leave it to a child?"

"Let's continue to follow Roland. Many people consider Roland to be the real commander, and those who know Alter have no objection to him in the first place. In addition, both of them are acquainted with the party. I think he's the right man for the job."

My brother responded in a flowing manner.

I realized that I had been stunned and hurriedly closed my mouth.

The logic of a politician was pure and simple, unlike mine, which was trapped in emotion. Before I knew it, my brother had grown up to be the successor. I was so preoccupied with status and strength that I couldn't see anything else. I can't think like my brother. Even though I was born into a noble family, I'm still a commoner. I lack a big-picture perspective.

My father closed his eyes and examined my brother's proposal.

"Very well. I will heed Lakius' words. Alter, I order you to take care of this illness. If there is anything you need to do, tell me. If any further concerns arise, you will report them immediately. Roland, you will assist Alter."

"Yes, sir, I'll do that."

Roland and I dropped to one knee and hung our heads.

My brother saved me, and now my father has officially given me my orders.

It was my own business, to be honest. But now it's different. It was the first time I had received an order from my father the lord. This is not the time to lament about my inability. Valerie had less than two weeks left. She has less than two weeks left, during which time she must do whatever she can to wipe out the disease. I will do whatever I can. For Valerie's sake, and to stop the spread of the disease.

I once again made up my mind to face the disease with all my might.